Lebanon delays expected for rehabilitation of Aboudieh border crossing amid lengthy administrative procedures: The details

Report by Raneem Bou Khzam, English adaptation by Mariella Succar

On November 27, 2024, Israel struck the Aboudieh border crossing with Syria, known on the Syrian side as Dabbousieh. 

Following the attack, the Lebanese Army, in coordination with the Ministry of Public Works, attempted to restore connectivity at the site in Akkar, even on a temporary basis, to facilitate the movement of people.

However, the crossing has remained out of service, while the surrounding region has highlighted the importance of maintaining such cross-border links.

The Ministry of Public Works later moved forward with a tender to rehabilitate and develop the yards of the Abdeh crossing, covering roadworks and all related infrastructure within the site.

On Tuesday, the ministry opened the bids after receiving four offers. However, the process is far from complete.

The selected preliminary bid must still undergo further technical review before being submitted to the minister for approval. 

Once approved, the decision will be published and subject to a 10-day objection period. If no objections are raised, the file is then forwarded to the Court of Audit and subsequently returned to the Ministry of Public Works, where additional administrative procedures are carried out between departments.

In total, these procedures are expected to take at least two months, while the project itself has a six-month execution timeline.

Even under optimistic assumptions, the administrative process alone is expected to be completed around September. If work begins immediately thereafter, completion of the Abdeh crossing rehabilitation would likely not occur before March, weather conditions permitting.

Meanwhile, work on the Syrian side is already underway to rehabilitate its portion of the crossing.

The planned project, if fully implemented as designed, would create a functional border crossing separating truck traffic from passenger vehicles and organizing the flow of both individuals and freight.