Lebanon Prevents Landing of a 'Mahan Air' Plane at Beirut Airport

Israeli and Lebanese media reported on Thursday night, February 25, that Lebanese authorities denied permission for an Iranian passenger plane belonging to 'Mahan Air' to land at Beirut International Airport following warnings from the Israeli army. According to these reports, the plane had taken off from Tehran and was carrying Lebanese passengers. The Jerusalem Post wrote that images circulated on social media show Hezbollah supporters, backed by the Islamic Republic of Iran, blocking roads near the international airport in protest against the Lebanese authorities' decision. In this context, the Lebanese news network 'LBCI' reported that Lebanese aviation officials informed Mahan Air that its flight to Beirut was not allowed to land, resulting in dozens of Lebanese citizens being stranded at Tehran International Airport. Additionally, see: Israel: The IRGC continues to smuggle cash for Hezbollah. Avichai Adraee, the Arabic-speaking spokesman for the Israeli army, announced on Wednesday night, February 24, on the social media platform 'X' that the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Hezbollah have recently 'used civilian flights to smuggle cash to this terrorist group through Beirut International Airport.' He noted: 'The Israeli army remains in contact with the ceasefire monitoring mechanism and continuously transmits specific information to neutralize these transfers.' He emphasized that the Israeli army will not allow Hezbollah to rearm and will use all available tools to implement ceasefire agreements to ensure the safety of Israeli citizens. On February 12, Israel also announced that Iranian diplomats and others were traveling to Lebanon, carrying tens of millions of dollars in cash for Hezbollah to be used for the revival of this group. Security forces at Beirut's Rafic Hariri International Airport inspected a Mahan Air plane on January 3 on suspicion of carrying financial aid for Hezbollah. Lebanese media reported that during this inspection, the contents of a bag belonging to an Iranian diplomat were confiscated by Lebanese authorities after cash was discovered. Naim Qassem, the leader of Hezbollah Lebanon, announced on December 15 that the Islamic Republic's financial aid to this group was for payments to 'families affected by the war with Israel' and stated that Hezbollah had paid over 50 million dollars in cash gifts to families affected by the war with Israel. Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah Lebanon, who was killed following Israeli airstrikes, stated in July 2016 that all of Hezbollah's budget is funded by Iran. The story of the inspection of the Mahan plane in Beirut: Inspection of the Iranian plane at Beirut airport on suspicion of carrying aid for Hezbollah. Syria has not allowed flights; flights from Iran were canceled until January 22.