The recent bombing of the Masnaa passageway raised concerns about the safety of trade routes for Lebanese exports and imports (in addition, of course, to the safety of human passengers), especially as this route is used to transport imports and exports to and from nearby Arab countries. In this respect, we want to explore the main points of entry and exit for Lebanese exports and imports and, accordingly, which countries constitute our main trading partners.
The below tables show details about exports and imports by passageways, countries of origin and destination, and product category:
Table 1: Exports and Imports Value by Passageways in 2023 (USD 000s)
| Offices | Exports | % of Total Exports | Imports | % of Total Imports |
| Abboudieh | 24,409 | 0.81% | 36,993 | 0.21% |
| Arida | 15,811 | 0.53% | 35,325 | 0.20% |
| Masnaa | 175,864 | 5.87% | 344,005 | 1.96% |
| Port Of Beirut | 1,472,453 | 49.16% | 10,978,574 | 62.65% |
| Rafic Hariri Airport | 1,013,722 | 33.85% | 4,262,155 | 24.32% |
| Saida Port | 79,073 | 2.64% | 282,955 | 1.61% |
| Tripoli Port | 213,667 | 7.13% | 1,582,138 | 9.03% |
| Tyre Port | 0 | 0.00% | 1,764 | 0.01% |
| Total | 2,994,999 | 100.00% | 17,523,909 | 100.00% |
Source: Lebanese Customs
Table 2: Exports and Imports Value By Countries in 2023 (USD 000s)
| Countries | Total Imports | % of Total Imports | Countries | Total Exports | % of Total Exports |
| China | 2,060,975 | 12% | United Arab Emirates | 590,691 | 19.72% |
| Switzerland | 1,750,826 | 10% | Turkey | 292,110 | 9.75% |
| Greece | 1,682,486 | 10% | Egypt | 163,470 | 5.46% |
| Turkey | 1,369,484 | 8% | Iraq | 153,667 | 5.13% |
| Italy | 1,112,445 | 6% | Switzerland | 145,063 | 4.84% |
Source: Lebanese Customs
Table 3: Exports and Imports Value By Product Category in 2023 (USD 000s)
| Product Category | Exports | % of Total Exports | Product Category | Imports | % of Total Imports |
| Pearls, precious stones and metals | 760,440 | 25.39% | Mineral products | 4,644,138 | 26.50% |
| Base metals and articles of base metal | 428,875 | 14.32% | Pearls, precious stones and metals | 2,526,084 | 14.42% |
| Machinery, electrical instruments | 387,321 | 12.93% | Machinery, electrical instruments | 1,632,937 | 9.32% |
| Prepared foodstuffs; beverages, tobbaco | 376,844 | 12.58% | Products of the chemical or allied industries | 1,265,574 | 7.22% |
| Products of the chemical or allied industries | 295,876 | 9.88% | Vehicles, aircraft, vessels, transport equipment | 1,152,088 | 6.57% |
| Vegetable products | 206,347 | 6.89% | Prepared foodstuffs; beverages, tobbaco | 1,045,308 | 5.97% |
Source: Lebanese Customs
As shown in table 1 above, the three main passageways that the majority of exports and imports go through are Port of Beirut, Rafic Hariri Airport, and Tripoli Port. Through these three passageways, 90% of total exports and 96% of total imports pass.
When it comes to the Masnaa passageway, 5.87% of total exports and 1.96% of total imports pass through it (though most likely more trade goes through it illegally). The reasons behind these low percentages are:
As such, the closure of the Masnaa passageway due to the airstrike will mainly affect vegetables and fruits exports. According to the Head of the Bekaa Farmers Association, Mr. Ibrahim Al Tarshishi, as reported in the Annahar newspaper of the October 7th, 2024 issue, “vegetables and fruits exports to Syria, Jordan and Iraq pass through this passageway; however, if these exports pass through Arida and Abboudieh passageways, costs will increase by at least 10%. Moreover, instead of reaching Damascus in two hours, it will now take 50 hours to reach Damascus as it will pass across Homs Governorate”.
So, to conclude,, despite the importance of Masnaa passageway for exporting vegetables and fruits, its closure will hardly affect the legal exporting and importing of food and all other goods, as the super majority of Lebanese imports and exports pass through other routes. However, Lebanon will be severely – if not detrimentally — affected if Rafic Hariri airport is bombed into closure and/or a marine siege closes off the Port of Beirut. That is what we should be worried about and what we need to prevent from happening.
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