Egypt Did Not Start Pumping Gas to Lebanon via Jordan and Syria
The Claim
Egypt has begun pumping gas to Lebanon using pipelines that pass through Syria, and Syrian citizens will see an improvement in electricity across the country.
News posted on
Emerging story
Since September 15th, 2021, social media accounts have been circulating news claiming that Egypt has started pumping natural gas to Lebanon through the gas pipeline that passes from Syria. Users added that Syrian citizens would notice an improvement in electricity in all regions of the country.
Screenshot of a post circulating the claim, with the word “urgent” in large Arabic letters.
Misbar’s Analysis
An examination of credible news publishers did not reveal any official reports in Egypt nor Lebanon, nor the two countries, Jordan and Syria, through which the pipeline passes, that Egypt has pumped natural gas to Lebanon.
However, news reports did say that the pumping of natural gas from Egypt to Lebanon was approved. According to the Egyptian Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, Tarek El Molla, on September 11, Egyptian gas would be pumped to Lebanon within a few weeks or months. There are still preparations that need to be completed.
Lebanon’s Minister of Energy Raymond Ghajar added that "preparing to receive Egyptian gas needs two to three months, pending detection of the lines.” Relative countries through which the Arab gas pipelines cross need three weeks to submit reports on the readiness of the lines.
