Nasrallah is scheduled to give a speech today at 8:30 PM Lebanon time, in which he will address “recent events”. We assess that Nasrallah will address, among other topics, the establishment of the new Lebanese government, as well as the “first Iranian fuel tanker that will arrive in Lebanon.”
We have discussed the establishment of the new Lebanese government in an article we published on September 12th.
The fuel tanker’s cargo, which will be unloaded in the Banias port in Syria, will allow Nasrallah to reap the maximum benefits of information warfare and public relations for Hezbollah.
Nasrallah will continue to strengthen Hezbollah’s propaganda narrative. In his address, he will falsely present that this will be the first time an Iranian fuel tankers cargo will be arriving in Lebanon. He will also emphasize that this was made possible solely by Hezbollah, which is not only Lebanon’s military shield but also its economic one.
We assess that Nasrallah will attempt to play down the fact that the Iranian fuel tanker will be anchoring in the Banias port in Syria and not in Lebanon (in contrast to what Nasrallah repeatedly stated in his past addresses on the matter). In addition, he will try to downplay the fact that Iranian fuel tankers docking at the Banias port in Syria are no new matter, and that this tanker is not unprecedented in any way:
We have known for a while that fuel is transported from Iran to Syria by sea in tankers. The tankers arrive at the Banias port, the fuel is unloaded and is then transported by truck to Lebanon, primarily for Hezbollah’s use. The only difference here is that this is the first time it is not being done under the public’s nose.
The “first Iranian fuel tanker” propaganda is no more and no less than a “PR tanker”, and it will be highly bolstered by Nasrallah in his address this evening in his attempt to fuel Hezbollah’s information warfare…
