I mean, come on, what a goofy name! Who names a lake
Lake Asphaltites?!? Sounds like asphalt.
Well, as it turns out, that was the Greek name for the Dead Sea. Before the war, there had been "slime pits" where bitumen was mined at great profit. It was used for mummification in Egypt and for paving roads in Babylon.
But the Sodomites got very wealthy from it and the rest of the world resented it. Middle East wars over oil anyone?