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

The US 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 based mostly on details. We take these issues very significantly and are monitoring them carefully,” 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 by which it cited “airport informants” as involved in regards to the improve in weapons provides on direct flights from Iran. They mentioned they seen the arrival of “unusually massive containers” and increasingly more 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 reviews 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 occurring for greater than eight months between Hezbollah and Israel would ‘ slide into full-scale warfare on account 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 nations, 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 labored on floor providers.

AFP reporters noticed massive packed containers 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 accountable 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 aren’t accountable for looking Beirut airport or discovering prohibited objects there, our purpose in the present day on the airport can be a message to all events that what we want sooner or later is calm and never searching for distractions that may improve pressure.

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 each 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 celebration’s distinguished chief in an Israeli strike.

Final week, the Israeli military introduced it had “accepted operational plans for an assault on Lebanon,” and the celebration’s Secretary-Basic, Hassan Nasrallah, warned the subsequent day that no place in Israel will probably be “secure” from the missiles of his celebration within the occasion of warfare.

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

“Promising Summer time”

Director Basic of Civil Aviation, Fadi Al-Hassan, mentioned on this context, “The dangers have been current they usually 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 carefully the safety procedures which were adopted.”

Based on Al-Hassan, “The quantity of people that got here to Lebanon for the reason that 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 previous), a housewife who got here from Abidjan to spend the summer time holidays in Lebanon, informed Agence France-Presse that she doesn’t imagine the information about storage of weapons on the airport, for the reason that intention 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 time season will probably be full.”

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

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