Israeli army hacks into Beirut Airport control tower, threatens Iranian civilian plane

By Anadolu staff

BEIRUT (AA) - The Israeli army on Saturday hacked into the control tower of Beirut's Rafic Hariri International Airport, issuing threats against an Iranian civilian aircraft attempting to land, according to official sources.

The Lebanese Ministry of Transport instructed airport authorities to prevent the Iranian plane from entering Lebanese airspace following Israeli threats to target the aircraft if it landed at the airport.

Sources within the ministry confirmed to Anadolu that the directive was issued after the Israeli army’s aggressive posturing.

There was no comment from the Israeli side on the reports yet.

Earlier, the Israeli army on Saturday claimed the "liquidation" of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in a recent airstrike on Beirut’s southern suburb.

In a statement on X, Israeli army spokesman Avichay Adraee said Nasrallah was ‘liquidated’ during an operation targeting the central command of Hezbollah located beneath a residential building in the southern suburbs of Beirut.

Hezbollah and Israel have been engaged in cross-border warfare since the start of Israel's onslaught on the Gaza Strip, which has killed nearly 41,600 victims, mostly women and children, following a cross-border attack by Hamas last Oct. 7.

*Writing by Ikram Kouachi in Ankara