• Lebanon is rich in natural resources, including oil, natural gas, limestone, salt, and fertile agricultural land.
• Israel’s bombardment of Lebanon has severely impacted food availability. The UN report that one child is killed in Lebanon every day.
Lebanon’s diverse landscape features snow-capped mountains, the Bekaa Valley, and coastal plains. Lebanon is endowed with an array of mineral resources, including limestone, gypsum, oil, natural gas, and salt, as well as semiprecious gemstones and pearls.
Oil and Natural Gas
In recent years, Lebanon has intensified efforts to explore its oil and gas potential, situated within the Levant basin, which includes neighbouring countries such as Palestine, Egypt, and Cyprus—each of which has already discovered offshore gas fields. In recent years, the Lebanese government explored endeavours that yielded significant findings, having identified up to ten offshore blocks available for licensing, potentially housing 25 trillion cubic feet of natural gas reserves.
Exploration efforts halted in 2013 due the political climate and resumed in 2017, with the government issuing licenses in 2018 and 2019. However, Lebanon encountered challenges with Israel, which claims certain blocks as its own, despite having appropriated the land of Palestine.
Tensions intensified when Lebanon included these blocks in its tendering process, prompting Israel to assert that this violated the status quo in the contested area. As a result, major oil and gas companies have approached these disputed blocks with caution.
Limestone
The etymology of the name “Lebanon” is believed to derive from a Semitic word meaning “white,” reflective of its limestone-rich geological formations. These sedimentary rocks primarily consist of fine-grained pale limestone, which is often so subtle that its features require microscopic examination. The sedimentary sequences in the country date back to the Late Jurassic to the Middle Cretaceous periods.
Salt
Historical records indicate that the salt ponds in Anfeh, an ancient port south of Tripoli, are among the oldest in the world. Ancient Phoenicians carved salt ponds into the rocky shores, transporting seawater in large jars and relying on solar evaporation to harvest salt crystals. Anfeh’s salt industry played a vital role in its economic prominence, as highlighted by ancient Cuneiform tablets from 1,400 BC praising the quality of Anfeh salt.
However, families dependent on this trade have shifted to other livelihoods, citing high maintenance costs and diminished profits due to the influx of cheaper Egyptian salt.
Arable Land
The Bekaa Valley, renowned for its fertile land, benefits from nutrient-rich alluvial deposits from the surrounding Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon mountains. Coupled with a moderate climate and abundant water resources, this area is ideal for agricultural production. Other significant agricultural regions include Koura and Akkar in the north, as well as the southern and coastal areas between Sidon and Tyre. Although Mount Lebanon contributes to agricultural output, its rugged terrain limits cultivation.
In 2019, Agriculture constituted of approximately 3.5% of Lebanon’s GDP and employed around 6% of the workforce, which made it the fifth-largest sector for employment. Key agricultural products include apples, oranges, grapes, and bananas, along with other staples such as tomatoes and maize. These agricultural products were primarily exported to other Middle Eastern countries, underscoring the sector’s importance to the Lebanese economy.
The Harrowing Ramifications of Israel’s Bombardment on Lebanon
This week the United Nations reported that Israel’s war on Lebanon has killed one child per day.
Earlier this week it was also reported that Lebanese farmers are facing olive season loss due to Israel’s bombardment on Lebanon.
Israel’s bombardment of Lebanon has lead to the destruction of vital infrastructure, such as irrigation systems and roads, makes it difficult to plant, maintain, or harvest crops. Direct attacks have killed livestock and destroy fields, leading to immediate food shortages and long-term economic repercussions. Additionally, displacing farmers, interrupting agricultural production as citizens flee their homes. The ongoing onslaught on Lebanon has restricted access to local and international markets, complicating the sale of products and acquisition of necessary supplies.
