Beirut airport sees gradual return to normal operations amid Israeli threats

By Anadolu staff

BEIRUT (AA) - Flights at Beirut’s Rafic Hariri International Airport resumed Monday after airlines reported delays and cancellations.

The airport’s online data indicated that several flights landed on Monday morning from key destinations, including Amman, Dubai, Doha, and Larnaca.

However, morning departures from the airport proceeded as scheduled, while some flights to prominent destinations such as Frankfurt, Amsterdam, and Sweden were canceled.

On Sunday evening, Middle East Airlines (MEA), Lebanon’s national carrier, announced the postponement of certain flights returning to Beirut from Sunday to Monday morning. The decision comes amid Israeli threats of military action against Lebanon.

MEA is headquartered in Beirut and operates flights to various destinations in the Middle East, Europe, Africa, and beyond.

Local media sources also reported that foreign airlines, including Qatar Airways, Transavia, and Eurowings, canceled their flights to Beirut on Sunday evening.

The escalation of Israeli threats reached a fever pitch following a missile strike on Saturday in the occupied Syrian Golan Heights, targeting the town of Majdal Shams.

The attack resulted in the deaths of 12 members of the Druze community, most of whom were children, and left around 40 others injured.

While Israel has blamed Hezbollah for Saturday’s attack in Majdal Shams, the group denied any responsibility.

According to Israel’s Army Radio, the military formulated scenarios for a potential attack on Hezbollah and placed them on the table for political-level discussions to assess the situation.

Discussions took up the possibility of “undertaking more severe military action” in Lebanon, the broadcaster said.

On Saturday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed that Hezbollah will "pay a heavy price" for the attack.

Fears have grown about a full-blown war between Israel and Hezbollah amid an exchange of cross-border attacks between the two sides.

The escalation comes against the backdrop of a deadly Israeli onslaught on Gaza, which has killed more than 39,300 people since last October, following an attack by the Palestinian resistance group Hamas.

* Writing by Mohammad Sio.