Amid fears of conflict in Lebanon.. What’s Washington’s message to Hezbollah?

America mentioned Monday that its ambassador didn’t participate within the tour that introduced journalists and diplomats to Beirut airport, however Washington is in touch with Lebanese authorities concerning info contained in a newspaper report. The Telegraph reported that Hezbollah is storing weapons on the airport.

US State Division spokesman Matthew Miller mentioned, “We’ve seen the Lebanese authorities’s assertion that the report shouldn’t be primarily based on details. We take these issues very critically and are monitoring them intently,” with out referring to any American evaluation of the accuracy of what was talked about. within the report.

On Sunday, the British newspaper The Telegraph printed a report during which it cited “airport informants” as involved concerning the enhance in weapons provides on direct flights from Iran. They mentioned they observed the arrival of “unusually massive bins” and increasingly Hezbollah leaders on the airport.

On Monday, Lebanese authorities opened the warehouses at Beirut Worldwide Airport to diplomats and journalists, reiterating their rejection of British newspaper stories of Hezbollah stockpiling, whereas -inside the areas of the one air facility within the nation, weapons he obtained from Iran. .

Lebanese authorities strongly denied the allegations, which got here towards a backdrop of rising fears that the escalation that has been happening for greater than eight months between Hezbollah and Israel would ‘ slide into full-scale conflict because of mutual threats.

The Minister of Public Works and Transport, Ali Hamiya, confirmed to reporters from Rafic Hariri Worldwide Airport, within the presence of a number of of his colleagues and diplomats from a number of international locations, that “our airport meets all worldwide requirements. “

He believed that the publication of the report goals to “discredit” the airport and trigger “ethical hurt” to the Lebanese, denying what he described as ” scripted psychological warfare”.

Hezbollah didn’t formally touch upon the contents of the report.

Diplomats and dozens of journalists toured two amenities belonging to the 2 firms that work on floor providers.

AFP reporters noticed massive packed bins and scanning tools inside.

Media professionals on a tour of Beirut Worldwide Airport

An administrative officer on the airport confirmed to reporters in entrance of the middle chargeable for offering providers to Iranian plane that “all plane merchandise are topic to inspection, together with Iranian plane.” “

The Director Basic of Civil Aviation, Fadi Al-Hassan, confirmed in statements to Agence France-Presse on the sidelines of the tour that “all plane arriving on the airport are topic to the identical customs procedures,” explaining that “anybody can see the identical customs. cargo of each aircraft that arrived on the airport, whether or not from Iran or in any other case.”

After collaborating within the tour, Egyptian Ambassador Alaa Moussa mentioned at a press convention, “We’re not chargeable for looking Beirut airport or discovering prohibited objects there, our objective right this moment on the airport can also be a message to all events that what we want sooner or later is calm and never in search of distractions that can enhance rigidity.

For the reason that Palestinian motion Hamas launched an unprecedented assault on Israel on October 7, Hezbollah and Israel have exchanged cross-border bombing virtually every day.

Final week noticed a rise within the degree of alternate of threats between the 2 events, within the face of the killing of the social gathering’s outstanding chief in an Israeli strike.

Final week, the Israeli military introduced it had “authorised operational plans for an assault on Lebanon,” and the social gathering’s Secretary-Basic, Hassan Nasrallah, warned the following day that no place in Israel will probably be “protected” from the missiles of his social gathering within the occasion of conflict.

For the reason that begin of the rise, and with the discount within the worth of conflict threat insurance coverage from insurance coverage firms, Center East Airways, the nationwide service, has taken protecting measures, together with parking planes overseas.

“Promising Summer season”

Director Basic of Civil Aviation, Fadi Al-Hassan, mentioned on this context, “The dangers have been current and so they nonetheless are, however by issuing a report from a British newspaper on the time this particular … it made us shortly deny it and invite it. the ambassadors” to tour the airport and see intently the safety procedures which have been adopted.”

Based on Al-Hassan, “The quantity of people that got here to Lebanon because the starting of the sixth month has exceeded 300,000 vacationers. God prepared.”

Within the arrival halls of the airport, site visitors appeared regular, with households ready for his or her family members to reach whereas youngsters carried bouquets of flowers. On the screens have been flights arriving from Cyprus, Egypt, Turkey, Qatar and others.

Rula Qasim (50 years outdated), a housewife who got here from Abidjan to spend the summer season holidays in Lebanon, advised Agence France-Presse that she doesn’t imagine the information about storage of weapons on the airport, because the goal is to publish them “so that individuals don’t come to Lebanon.”

She mentioned with willpower, “My youngsters will go together with me and the summer season season will probably be full.”

Israel beforehand focused Beirut Airport in July 2006, when it and Hezbollah fought a devastating conflict.

Over the previous years, Hezbollah has denied accusations of stockpiling weapons in vital amenities, together with the airport.