The Lebanese daily Al-Akhbar, affiliated with Hezbollah, denied reports that Lebanon's government has decided to restrict or ban imports of fiber-optic cables, which have been used by Hezbollah to operate explosive-laden drones. According to the paper, no such restriction has been imposed by any Lebanese ministry. The denial comes amid reported pressure on the government to limit what it calls 'dual-use' imports, as the price of fiber-optic cable has surged from $3,700 per ton in 2023 to $15,000 per ton in 2025, attributed partly to high wartime demand.
The Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar, widely identified with Hezbollah, pushed back this morning against reports that the Lebanese government had imposed restrictions on fiber-optic cable imports to prevent the group from using them to control explosive-laden drones. According to the paper's report, no such decision has been made by the Finance, Communications, or Industry ministries. The denial underscores the delicate internal dynamic in Lebanon: while there is acknowledged pressure to curb dual-use imports that strengthen Hezbollah's military capabilities — a matter of direct concern to Israel — the Hezbollah-aligned outlet frames the very idea of a government ban as an act of political betrayal. The report cites Lebanese customs data showing no significant increase in fiber-optic cable imports — 67 tons in 2025, similar to previous years. However, prices have surged dramatically: from $3,700 per ton in 2023 to $7,900 in 2024 and $15,000 in 2025, a spike the paper attributes to high demand linked to the Russia-Ukraine war. The report does not confirm whether fiber-optic imports were ever actively blocked in practice; it only denies that a formal government decision was made. As The Zioneer reported on June 10, a Lebanese journalist had previously reported that security personnel at the airport and seaport were instructed to block such imports — a claim now explicitly rejected by Al-Akhbar. No independent confirmation of either version is available.
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