Lebanese authorities tighten grip on Beirut Airport

Shafaq News/ Lebanon has tightened security at Beirut’s Rafic Hariri International Airport in a bid to curb Hezbollah-linked smuggling operations, drawing cautious approval from US and Israeli officials, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on Thursday.

The overhaul includes mandatory security checks for all flights, the suspension of incoming flights from Iran since February, and the dismissal of airport employees reportedly linked to Hezbollah, according to senior Lebanese security and military officials cited by the report.

Additionally, Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam told the WSJ that the country is making rare progress in confronting smuggling networks. “You can feel the difference,” he affirmed. “We’re doing better on smuggling for the first time in the contemporary history of Lebanon.”

The report also revealed that Lebanese authorities recently intercepted an attempt to smuggle over 50 pounds of gold through the airport, allegedly destined for Hezbollah.

A senior US official involved in monitoring the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah described the reforms as promising. “It has only been six or seven months, and we have stepped to a place that I am not sure I thought was achievable back in November.”

Despite the improvements, Israeli airstrikes on Hezbollah targets in Lebanon have continued, with Israeli officials saying the group remains in violation of the ceasefire agreement reached late last year, the WSJ added.

Responding to the allegations, Hezbollah MP Ibrahim Mousawi stated that the group had suffered losses but suggested rearming efforts were ongoing. He dismissed claims that Hezbollah controls the airport, saying the group is “part of the system, just like any other Lebanese constituency.”