Lebanon Prevents Mahan Flights After US Warning About 'Serious' Threat from Israel

A security source reports that Lebanon, following a warning from the United States regarding the potential targeting of Iranian Mahan Airlines flights, prevented two Mahan Air flights from landing at Beirut Airport within a week. The source, identified as 'Lebanese' but unnamed, told AFP on Saturday, February 16, that the US warned that there is a 'possibility' that Israel could target Beirut Airport due to these flights, describing this possibility as 'serious.' Meanwhile, the head of Iran's aviation organization announced on Sunday, February 17, that Lebanese aviation requested that no flights from Iran to Lebanon be conducted until February 18 due to 'security conditions' at the country's airports. In response to a question about whether 'Israel has threatened to strike if an Iranian plane flies to Beirut,' Hossein Pourfarzaneh said, 'We have not heard such a thing and have not received any written threats from anyone.' AFP reported that Hezbollah in Lebanon called on the government on Sunday to lift the ban on Iranian flights at Beirut Airport. Last Thursday, Lebanon denied a Mahan Airlines passenger flight permission to land at Beirut Airport. Following this, dozens of Hezbollah supporters blocked routes leading to Beirut Airport in protest, with videos showing protesters burning tires and chanting slogans. On Friday, another flight from Iran to Lebanon was also halted, leading to further protests from Hezbollah supporters. Tensions escalated when Lebanon sent two planes from its national airline, Middle East Airlines, to return Lebanese citizens to Tehran, but this time Iran did not allow these planes to land. On the same day, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ismail Baqaei accused Israel of 'threatening' the Iranian plane, causing 'disruption' in normal flights to Beirut Airport. He condemned this action as a 'violation of international law.' In contrast, Israel accused Tehran of using civilian aircraft to smuggle money to Beirut and equip Hezbollah. Avichai Adraee, an Israeli army spokesman, wrote on X (formerly Twitter) that the Quds Force of the IRGC and Hezbollah have used civilian flights to smuggle money to Beirut. Less than two weeks ago, the Wall Street Journal reported that Israel complained to a US-led committee overseeing the ceasefire in Lebanon that Iranian diplomats and others were transferring tens of millions of dollars in cash to finance Hezbollah's reconstruction. According to the security source speaking to AFP, after the US described the Israeli threat as 'serious,' the Lebanese Ministry of Transport consulted with the Prime Minister and President and then prevented the landing of the Iranian plane. According to the ceasefire agreement, Lebanon is required to control the country's entries and prevent the transfer of weapons and related equipment to groups like Hezbollah, but this agreement does not specifically mention the transfer of cash. Hezbollah is a militia group and also a political party that controls a large part of southern Lebanon. The United States considers Hezbollah a terrorist organization, while the European Union has blacklisted its military wing but does not consider its political wing as terrorist. The political wing of Hezbollah also has representatives in the Lebanese parliament. The Lebanese Civil Aviation Authority announced on Thursday that some flights, including those from Iran, have been temporarily canceled until February 18 to implement additional security measures. This date coincides with the deadline for Israeli forces to withdraw from southern Lebanon and the evacuation of Hezbollah positions in these areas, as stipulated in the ceasefire agreement of November 27.