Worst ever? How does he know?

The Minister of Environment for Lebanon has declared that a heavy fuel oil spill caused by the Israeli bombing of a seaside power plant is "without doubt the biggest environmental catastrophe that the Mediterranean has known."

Okay, we'll bite. What's the second greatest environmental catastrophe suffered by the Mediterranean? Anyone? Anyone? Beuhler? Anyone?

Is it possible that other oil spills occurred during World War II?

Why was this power plant, with its large reservoir of heavy fuel oil, located within 80 feet of the sea? Isn't that sort of asking for a problem? As Minister of Environment, this guy should know these things.

The rest of the article would make it appear as if much of the beach area and aqua-culture of Lebanon was already an environmental mess from Israeli and Syrian industrial waste, and raw Lebanese sewage.

We understand that hyperbole is sort of a cultural trait in the Mideast, but wouldn't it be refreshing if someone actually said something along the lines of gee, this oil slick is a real mess, and it probably ranks right up there with some of the worst crap the Mediterranean has ever witnessed. It still gets the message across, but it doesn't make a claim that can't easily be proven.

This is an AP story. You'd think its editors would know this as well.