From the Liveblog of
Sunday, February 16, 2025
Lebanon blocked Iran planes after US warnings that Israel could shoot them down, source says
Lebanon denied permission for Iranian flights to land in Beirut twice this week after the United States warned Israel might shoot the planes down, a Lebanese security source tells AFP.
Israel has on several occasions accused Hezbollah of using the airport in Beirut to bring in weapons and money from Iran. The group — and Lebanese leaders — have denied those allegations.
The first incident occurred on Thursday, when Lebanese authorities sent word to Iran that a Beirut-bound flight should not take off.
“Through the Americans, Israel informed the Lebanese state that it would target the airport if the Iranian plane landed in Lebanon,” the source says.
“The American side told the Lebanese side that Israel was serious about its threat,” the source adds.
Lebanon’s public works and transport ministry then refused clearance for the flight, after consulting the prime minister and president, the source adds.
The message was passed on before the flight took off, says the source.
Another flight was also barred from taking off from Iran on Friday, which prompted protests in Lebanon from supporters of the Iran-backed Hezbollah group, who blocked the road to the country’s only international airport.
