Lebanon's Minister of Transport, Fayez Rassamny, assured Saturday that Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport is operating normally and that national carrier Middle East Airlines (MEA) continues to fly « normally », according to Lebanon's official National News Agency (NNA).
Reaching the airport is far from risk-free © Mena Today
Lebanon's Minister of Transport, Fayez Rassamny, assured Saturday that Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport is operating normally and that national carrier Middle East Airlines (MEA) continues to fly « normally », according to Lebanon's official National News Agency (NNA).
The reassurance, however, tells only part of the story.
MEA is now virtually the only airline still serving Beirut, as foreign carriers have suspended their flights one by one - some on a day-by-day basis, others for defined periods - in the shadow of the US-Israeli war against Iran and the ongoing conflict engulfing the region.
The airport's continued operation comes with an uncomfortable geographical reality: the only express road connecting central Beirut to the airport runs alongside the southern suburbs, Hezbollah's stronghold and one of the most heavily targeted areas in Israeli strikes.
Every passenger, every crew member, every flight that lands or departs Beirut does so within earshot - and eyesight - of an active war zone.
That Middle East Airlines continues to fly under these conditions is either an act of remarkable resilience or extraordinary risk, possibly both.
For Lebanon, a country already on the edge, keeping its airport open is not just a logistical necessity. It is the last lifeline connecting a besieged nation to the outside world.
Israeli and Lebanese representatives will hold talks in Washington on Thursday, a U.S. State Department spokesperson and an Israeli source speaking on the condition of anonymity told Reuters on Monday.
British police said they are investigating possible Iran links to a series of arson attacks on Jewish targets in London, which the UK chief rabbi said showed a sustained campaign of violence against the Jewish community was gathering momentum.
In a characteristically combative post published Sunday, US President Donald Trump issued his most explicit military threat yet against Iran, warning that the United States would "knock out every single Power Plant, and every single Bridge in Iran" if Tehran refuses to accept Washington's proposed deal.
To make this website run properly and to improve your experience, we use cookies. For more detailed information, please check our Cookie Policy.
Necessary cookies enable core functionality. The website cannot function properly without these cookies, and can only be disabled by changing your browser preferences.
