Lebanese Minister of Works: There are no weapons at Beirut Airport and we will sue the British newspaper

The Lebanese Minister of Works, Ali Hamiyah, and the Air Transport Association (syndicate) denied, on Sunday, what was published by the British newspaper The Telegraph, that Hezbollah is storing weapons at Beirut International Airport (Rafik Hariri), and confirmed that the airport is being subjected to a major smear campaign that has been harming Lebanon’s reputation for years. .

Hamiya said during a press conference that everything that was written in the Telegraph newspaper is untrue, “and no weapons are smuggled through Rafik Hariri Airport,” calling on all media outlets to conduct a field tour of all the airport’s facilities tomorrow, Monday morning.

He stressed that Lebanese Customs represents the state in protecting the airport “and cannot be questioned,” revealing that “a lawsuit has been prepared against the Telegraph newspaper on charges of defaming the airport’s reputation.”

The Lebanese minister also called for “stopping the Israeli enemy’s violations against Beirut International Airport,” noting that the airport has always been “a target of the enemy” and that it is “currently subjected to a campaign from the British newspaper.”

On Sunday, the British newspaper The Telegraph, citing what it said were workers at the airport, claimed that “Hezbollah is storing huge quantities of Iranian weapons, missiles and explosives at the main civilian airport in Beirut.”

In the same context, the Lebanese Air Transport Association (union) denied the presence of weapons and missiles at Rafic Hariri International Airport in the capital, Beirut, considering what was reported by the British newspaper The Telegraph merely “lies.”

The union, which includes unions and airline workers, said in a statement: “The Telegraph newspaper informed us of the presence of weapons and missiles at Beirut airport without providing any evidence or proof.”

The statement added that what the newspaper reported was “mere misinformation and lies aimed at endangering Beirut Airport and its workers, who are all civilians, and those transiting to and from it, all of whom are civilians.”

The statement held the newspaper, “and whoever reports from it and promotes its misleading, fully responsible for our safety, we who work at Beirut Airport and all its facilities, the passenger terminal, departure and arrival, the aircraft apron, maintenance, and civil air cargo.”

Recently, the level of Israeli threats against Lebanon has increased due to the escalation of confrontations between Hezbollah and the Israeli occupation army in the south.