How Lebanon’s only international airport stays open amid Israeli strikes
Beirut – Rafic Hariri’s eastern trail juts into the suburbs of Dahiyeh, a Hezbollah stronghold that Israel has targeted almost daily since March 2, when a salvo of rockets fired by the militants sparked a new Israeli offensive in Lebanon. Some Israeli strikes fell within a mile of the perimeter fence.
“It’s very difficult, it’s very uncertain, but we made the decision to keep our airspace open from the first day of the war,” Rasamny said in an interview in his Beirut office. “We are monitoring the situation at the airport every day, every hour.”
He said Flight ME230 was ultimately able to land safely after Israeli fighter jets took off following the emergency broadcast. “The air traffic controllers have to have the courage to handle this. And the pilot has to have the courage to handle all of this. And they were in sync,” he added.
The airport is a lifeline for Lebanon, a small country whose only land borders are with hostile Israel and war-torn Syria. For the large Lebanese diaspora, it is the only way to return home.
Most international airlines have canceled flights to Beirut amid the Middle East war. But the Lebanese national company, Middle East Airlines (MEA), still operates around four flights per day. It has become common for MEA planes, adorned with the cedar tree, Lebanon’s national symbol, to take off amid clouds of smoke caused by Israeli attacks.
Rasamny said the United States had given the Lebanese government assurance that Israel would not attack the airport or endanger civilian aircraft. “I am in direct contact with the American ambassador to ensure that the airport is secure as well as the road leading to it,” he said.
Washington’s assurances are essential. In July 2006, Israel bombed the airport during a previous war with Hezbollah. All three runways were damaged and several buildings destroyed after Israel accused the militant group of using the airport for arms trafficking.
Mohammad Aziz, head of Lebanon’s Civil Aviation Authority, said the Israeli Air Force usually stops its bombing runs when an airliner approaches. “They stop, they let you land, and then they continue,” he said. “It’s not a gentleman’s agreement. But there is a certain level of understanding.”
