After US warning:

Lebanon denies jets from Iran approach to Beirut

(Bild: AFP/Ibrahim Amro)

Lebanon has denied two flights from Iran access to Beirut this week. The country's authorities had previously been warned by the USA that Israel would attack the airport (pictured above) if the Iranian planes landed there.

"The American side informed the Lebanese side that Israel was serious with its warning," it said. As a result, the responsible ministries refused to give permission for the Iranian planes to land before they took off, the AFP news agency reported.

The decision had been agreed with Lebanon's head of government Nawaf Salam and President Joseph Aoun, the source said. The first flight should have landed in Beirut on Thursday, the second on Friday.

The Lebanese authorities had decided not to allow the Iranian planes to land in order to protect the airport and the travelers, Salam explained. In general, however, all flights arriving from Iran are "strictly controlled" anyway, according to security sources.

Protests by Hezbollah supporters
Friday's refusal to land led to protests by supporters of the Hezbollah militia, who blocked access to the airport. Israel had repeatedly accused Hezbollah, which is allied with Iran, of bringing weapons from Iran into the country via Beirut airport. Hezbollah and the Lebanese authorities have always denied this.

The conflict between Hezbollah and Israel escalated again after the major attack on Israel by the radical Islamic militia Hamas, which is allied with the Lebanese militia, on October 7, 2023. A ceasefire has been in place since the end of November. Both sides regularly accuse each other of violating it.