A Lebanese worker uses water pressure to clean-up the oil spill which polluted Rabbit Island, close to the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli, on March 31. The oil spill was caused by the explosion of fuel reservoirs stationed in the southern coastal town of Jiyyeh during the Israeli offensive on Lebanon in July 2006. At least 10,000 tons of heavy fuel oil spilled into the Lebanese sea, causing an environmental catastrophe with severe effects on health, biodiversity and tourism. The oil spill has reached the area close to the city of Tripoli where a string of small islands is located. The largest, known as the island of Palm trees or Rabbit Island, is a nature reserve known for green turtles and rare birds. Declared a protected area by UNESCO in 1992, this island also holds Roman and Crusader remains.