Lebanon minister denies Beirut port is being used for smuggling arms
This August 4, 2020, photo is the scene of an explosion that hit the port of Beirut, Lebanon. 220 killed, 7000 injured and 300, 000 became homeless after 2,750 Tonnes of Ammonium Nitrate that were stored there by Hezbollah for 7 years exploded. Hezbollah reportedly stored the chemicals for its ally, Bashar al-Assad for use in barrel bombs against Syrian civilians. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla, Beirut, Lebanon(Photo by Anwar Amro/AFP)
Lebanon denied reports on Wednesday that weapons are being smuggled through Beirut's seaport, stressing that the port is 'firmly under control.'
Addressing a news conference in Beirut, Minister of Public Works and Transport Fayez Rasamny said there is no evidence about smuggling weapons through the port.
'I have requested enhanced and tightened surveillance at the Beirut port,' Rasamny said.
He said that smuggling may have occurred in another place, but without elaborating.
The Lebanese minister said that the same security measures applied at Beirut Airport are enforced at the seaport.
On Tuesday, Al-Arabiya television, citing an unnamed source, said that the Hezbollah group shifted its focus to Beirut port as its primary means of smuggling weaponry, instead of land routes following the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime in Syria.
Al-Arabiya claimed that the Al-Quds Force of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) is overseeing the maritime smuggling operations, either directly to Lebanon or through intermediary countries. It quoted a Western security source as saying that Hezbollah has 're-imposed its control over Beirut's port,' following the 2020 blast, and is receiving arms and cash through the port.
Hezbollah denies
Hezbollah's MP Hassan Fadlallah denied Thursday that Hezbollah is smuggling arms through the port of Beirut. As usual, he described the claims as 'lies'.
Hezbollah also denied in 2020 that it used the Beirut port to store the chemicals that exploded on Aug 4, 2020, and devastated the Lebanese capital, refused to allow an international investigation of the explosion, and has been obstructing the Lebanese investigation for the past 5 years
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