Representative of Fuel Distributors in Lebanon Fadi Abou Chakra said that citizens currently are paying the cost of the dispute between the Ministry of Energy and Water and the Central Bank for setting the price schedule.”

Abu Chakra said during a television interview: “We have witnessed some clashes in Damour today because of the stampede, but no one deaths were reported.”

He added that opened gas stations are in dire need today for protection in order to avoid such clashes. “We do not want to be the “martyrs of fuel”, he said.

Lebanon is suffering from an unprecedented financial and social collapse, as well as a severe shortage of fuel, which is driving us to the daily queues in front of gas stations to fill cars with gasoline. “This is accompanied with clashes that resulted in injuries and deaths in more than one accident across the territory,” he added.

The diesel fuel outages have pushed various sectors, such as hospitals, as well as mills and bakeries, to shut down and stop operations. Restaurants, beach resorts, hotels, supermarkets and shops have also decided to shut down.