Lebanon Extends Suspension of Flights Between the Country and Iran

The spokesperson for the Lebanese presidency announced that the suspension of flights between Iran and Lebanon has been extended, but did not specify a date for the end of this restriction. This decision was announced by Najat Sharafeddine, the spokesperson for the presidency, on Monday, February 29, following a cabinet meeting in Lebanon, and stated that the Minister of Transportation has been instructed to extend the suspension period. This restriction was set to end on February 30. The spokesperson also reported that Lebanese officials have directly instructed security forces to prevent the closure of the Beirut airport route and to intensify inspections of all aircraft at the airport. Last Thursday and Friday, the Lebanese government refrained from allowing Mahan Air flights to land in Beirut, leading to tensions between Tehran and Beirut. Israel has accused Tehran of using passenger planes to smuggle cash for Hezbollah. Lebanon 'after a U.S. warning' prevented Mahan flights due to a 'serious' threat from Israel. Meanwhile, on Sunday, the French news agency reported, citing a security source, that Lebanon had prevented two flights from Mahan Airlines from entering Beirut airport in the past week following a U.S. warning about the potential targeting of these flights by Israel. The security source stated that the U.S. warned that 'it is possible' that Israel could target Beirut airport due to these flights. On the other hand, the head of Iran's aviation organization announced on the same day that Lebanese officials requested that 'due to security conditions' at the country's airports, no flights from Iran to Lebanon should take place until February 30. Now, with the Lebanese government's decision, the suspension of flights between the two countries has been extended until further notice. The cancellation of Iranian flights to Beirut led Iranian officials to reciprocally deny Lebanese aircraft permission to land in Tehran. Furthermore, Hezbollah, the Iran-backed group in Lebanon, protested this decision, and supporters of the group blocked the road leading to Rafik Hariri Airport for three days. On Saturday, the Lebanese army dispersed these individuals and fired tear gas at them. This incident occurred after a convoy of UN peacekeeping forces in Lebanon, UNIFIL, marked with the organization's emblem, was violently attacked on the way to Beirut airport; one vehicle was set on fire and two people were injured. Hezbollah denied its involvement in this attack. Hezbollah is a militia group and also a political party that controlled a large part of southern Lebanon, but its position has weakened following the war with Israel and the deaths of many of its leadership. The United States considers Hezbollah a terrorist organization, while the European Union has listed its military wing as a terrorist entity but does not classify its political wing as such. The political branch of Hezbollah also has representatives in the Lebanese parliament.