‘Enemy goods’ – Lebanon seizes Israeli-brand towels from stores

The Lebanese government prioritizes confiscating towels with logo of Israeli company over completing probe into the Beirut Port explosion that killed 218 people.

By World Israel News Staff

Lebanon is facing unprecedented internal crises that place the country on the verge of becoming a failed state, including major economic woes, widespread unemployment, and infrastructure failures that see much of the country cut off from electricity for hours each day.

But despite these challenges, the Lebanese government has announced a recent victory – confiscating Israeli-branded towels from local home goods stores.

In a statement on Tuesday, Lebanon’s Ministry of National Defense issued a breaking media alert that it had become aware of the “presence of goods produced by companies affiliated with the Israeli enemy” in Lebanese shops.

“Persons of interest were summoned for an investigation to determine the source of the goods,” the statement added. “The matter is being examined legally.”

Notably, an investigation into the massive 2020 explosion at the Port of Beirut that killed 218 people and caused some $15 billion in property damage has still not yet been completed.

Not a single person has been held responsible for the blast, which left 300,000 people homeless and is thought to have been caused by improperly stored explosives.

According to Lebanese media reports, some stores in the country have been selling dish and bath towels bearing the tags of Golf & Co., an Israeli home goods company.

It’s unclear how the products reached Lebanon. Some outlets speculated that they may have been purchased by Palestinian merchants in PA-administered cities and towns in Judea and Samaria and then resold to Lebanese retailers.

Another theory is that because Golf & Co.’s products are manufactured in China, a wholesaler may have resold excess stock or unwanted items that were already branded with the Israeli company’s logo to third parties.

Israel and Lebanon do not have diplomatic relations and technically remain in a semi-permanent state of war, with a ceasefire agreement meaning that the nations are not actively engaged militarily with each other.