Latest news with #BeirutInternationalAirport
Al Manar
a day ago
- Business
- Al Manar
Iranian FM Araghchi to Al-Manar: Beirut Visit Reflects Tehran's Regional Strategy, Support for Resistance Is Unshakable
Iranian Foreign Minister Dr. Abbas Araghchi affirmed Tehran's commitment to deepening political and economic cooperation with Lebanon, defending the sovereign right to nuclear development. In an exclusive interview with Al-Manar TV on Wednesday, FM Araghchi dismissed claims that Hezbollah operates as an Iranian proxy in Lebanon. Araghchi stated that his visit comes within the framework of the Islamic Republic's policy to reinforce its relationship with Lebanon's newly formed government. He described his meetings in Beirut with senior Lebanese officials as 'constructive,' adding that they resulted in agreements to expand trade and economic cooperation, alongside increased political coordination. He also addressed the issue of the suspension of Iranian flights at Beirut International Airport, saying Tehran is prepared to resolve any technical or procedural concerns. 'There is a genuine Lebanese will to restore direct flights between the two countries to their previous levels,' Araghchi noted. Responding to regional and international narratives, Araghchi firmly rejected characterizations of Hezbollah as an Iranian arm in Lebanon. 'Hezbollah is an independent Lebanese group, deeply rooted in the Lebanese social fabric, and plays a vital national role in defending the country,' he stated. He dismissed accusations that Lebanon is being turned into a battlefield for regional or international conflicts. 'Such claims aim to weaken Lebanon and sow division among its people,' Araghchi said, stressing that Iran's political support for the resistance does not equate to interference in its sovereign decisions. The foreign minister reiterated Iran's willingness to assist in Lebanon's reconstruction. 'Iranian companies have extensive experience in major infrastructure projects across several countries,' he noted, emphasizing that cooperation would take place solely through official government channels and in line with the priorities set by the Lebanese government. Araghchi also reassured that all collaboration with Lebanon would remain within the bounds of international law and would not expose the country to repercussions related to sanctions imposed on Iran. 'We are committed to legal and transparent cooperation that protects Lebanon's interests.' On the Iranian nuclear file, Araghchi delivered a resolute message saying that 'uranium enrichment is one of the greatest achievements of our national scientists, and we will never give it up under any circumstances.' He underscored that Iran's enriched uranium is essential for meeting medical and industrial needs. 'Our domestically produced radioisotopes are used to treat over one million patients annually,' he added, highlighting the human cost behind Iran's nuclear progress. 'Some of our scientists have paid with their lives for this achievement—we will not abandon it regardless of pressure.' While keeping the details of nuclear negotiations confidential, Araghchi said that Iran is carefully reviewing the latest US proposal and will respond at the appropriate time based on national interests. 'We will not relinquish our sovereign right to peaceful nuclear energy.' Sending a clear warning to any would-be aggressors, Araghchi stated, 'Any attack on Iran will have catastrophic consequences for the aggressors.' He emphasized the strength of Iran's deterrence capabilities, noting that its nuclear facilities are well protected and that critical materials are dispersed in a way that makes a decapitating strike nearly impossible. 'Our nuclear program is powered by the minds and expertise of our people. Thus, it cannot be erased by bombing.'
Arab News
19-04-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
2006 - Hezbollah-Israel war
DUBAI: Israel's war against Lebanon in 2006 was not its first, but it was the fiercest and most devastating to the Lebanese people and state to that point, resulting in severe damage to civilian infrastructure and shattering many vital sectors. On July 12, 2006, in an attempt to put pressure on Israel to release Lebanese and Palestinian prisoners, Hezbollah ambushed an Israeli army convoy patrolling the border, killing eight soldiers and capturing two, Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev. Another unit fired rockets at Israeli military positions and border villages. The next day, Israel responded with large-scale attacks on Lebanon by air, sea and land, fulfilling a pledge by Israeli army Chief of Staff Dan Halutz that 'if the soldiers are not returned, we will turn Lebanon's clock back 20 years.' The conflict continued for 34 days, during which nearly 1,200 Lebanese were killed, more than 4,000 injured and about a million displaced, according to government figures. It destroyed nearly 30,000 homes and a large number of the country's power stations, water and sewage networks, electrical facilities and telecommunications infrastructure. Key civilian infrastructure, including Beirut International Airport, bridges, roads, and public and private buildings were bombed. The war, which cost Lebanon more than $15 billion in economic losses, exacerbated unemployment and poverty levels, further escalating a socioeconomic crisis in the country. Another significant consequence of the conflict was the environmental devastation it caused. Israeli airstrikes targeted the Jiyeh power plant, south of Beirut, which caused more than 15,000 tonnes of oil to spill into the Mediterranean Sea, triggering an ecological catastrophe that severely affected marine life and other aspects of the coastal environment. In the view of critics and analysts, the surprise attack by Iran-backed Hezbollah did not justify the disproportionate scale of the 2006 war, which ended on Aug. 14, three days after the UN adopted Security Council Resolution 1701. Later that month, the head of Hezbollah at the time, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, admitted he would not have ordered the capture of Israeli soldiers had he known it would trigger a war on this scale. 'We did not think, even 1 percent, that the capture would lead to a war at this time and of this magnitude,' Nasrallah said during an interview with Lebanon's New TV. 'You ask me, if I had known on July 11 … that the operation would lead to such a war, would I do it? I say no, absolutely not.' Resolution 1701 called for an immediate ceasefire, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon, and for Hezbollah to move to areas north of the Litani River, leaving the south of the country exclusively under the control of the Lebanese military and 15,000 UN peacekeepers, who would help maintain calm and ensure displaced residents could return home. Hezbollah ambushes Israeli soldiers near the border village of Zar'it, killing 8 and capturing 2. Israel attacks Lebanon, bombing bridges, major roads and Beirut's airport. Hezbollah fires rockets deep into Israel, killing 8 people, forcing the evacuation of towns. UN drafts a ceasefire resolution with the aim of ending the war. UN Security Council adopts Resolution 1701, which calls for an immediate ceasefire between the warring parties. The ceasefire officially takes effect at 8:00 a.m. in Lebanon. Israel and Hezbollah agree prisoner-exchange deal in which Israeli authorities release Samir Kuntar and several other Lebanese detainees in exchange for the remains of Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev, the Israeli soldiers captured in 2006. Israeli authorities ended their 2006 war in Lebanon but the consequences at home continued. The government faced public outrage and harsh criticism, from politicians and the press, over its handling of the conflict. It responded by appointing a commission of inquiry to assess the military operations. In 2008, the Winograd Commission published a damning report that accused Israeli authorities of 'grave failings' at the political and military levels. A ground invasion, launched in the final days of the war, failed to achieve its objectives: it did not succeed in disarming Hezbollah, nor did it secure the release of the soldiers held by Hezbollah. It later emerged that Goldwasser and Regev were dead. Their remains were eventually returned in 2008, in exchange for five Lebanese prisoners and the bodies of about 200 Arabs. In addition, Israel's defense systems, including its Iron Dome air-defense shield, had proven incapable of protecting the north of the country. Hezbollah demonstrated the reach of its missile arsenal, striking at targets deep into Israeli territory, including Nahariya, Haifa and central regions, further exposing the weak defense strategy. The losses Israel sustained during the war fueled and intensified the criticism: 127 soldiers and 43 civilians were killed by Hezbollah attacks on northern Israel, and hundreds were wounded. Almost 300,000 people, mostly in northern Israel, were forced to flee their homes, sparking widespread panic. Meanwhile, Hezbollah's power had grown, both in terms of its arsenal of weapons and as a political force in Lebanon. In their study titled 'The 2006 Lebanon Campaign and the Future of Warfare: Implications for Army and Defense Policy,' authors Stephen Biddle and Jeffrey Friedman concluded that Hezbollah, a non-state actor, had waged a state-like conventional war by employing a hybrid strategy that blended conventional military tactics with guerrilla warfare. 'Hezbollah did some things well, such as its use of cover and concealment, its preparation of fighting positions, its fire discipline and mortar marksmanship, and its coordination of direct fire support,' they said in the 2008 study. However, they noted that the militant group 'fell far short of contemporary Western standards in controlling large-scale maneuver, integrating movement and indirect fire support, combining multiple combat arms, reacting flexibly to changing conditions, and small-arms marksmanship.' Overall, the 2006 conflict weakened neither the weaponry nor the resolve of Hezbollah. In summing up the shortcomings of the Israeli campaign, the Winograd Commission stated: 'When the strongest military in the Middle East embarked to fight the Hezbollah and does not clearly defeat it, this had far-reaching adverse consequences for Israel's status.' As Hezbollah's influence grew in the aftermath of the 2006 war, with the support of Iran and Syria, Lebanon was left to grapple with a deeply divided political system and sectarian strife, compounded by a collapsing economy and wider regional, geopolitical hostilities. While the UN Resolution 1701 brought relative calm, its terms were never fully enforced, in particular a call for Hezbollah to disarm and withdraw to north of the Litani River. These demands were renewed, nearly two decades later, as part of a US-brokered ceasefire agreement that ended the war between Israel and Hezbollah last year, with the aim of preventing future hostilities. The group's recent pummeling by Israel, the assassination of Nasrallah, and the toppling of its Syrian-regime ally, Bashar Assad, have shifted the power dynamics, leading to Hezbollah's declining influence. The election of Joseph Aoun, a neutral army commander, as president on Jan. 9, after two years of a power vacuum in the office, and the formation of a new government have reignited hopes for a united Lebanon and a resolution to the long-standing conflict with Israel.
Observer
27-02-2025
- Politics
- Observer
Oman, Lebanon review bilateral cooperation
BEIRUT: Sayyid Badr bin Hamad al Busaidy, Foreign Minister, on Wednesday met with Nawaf Salam, Prime Minister of Lebanon. The meeting took place within the framework of the Foreign Minister's official visit to Lebanon. During the meeting, the two sides reviewed bilateral cooperation in various fields. They also explored means of enhancing bilateral relations and coordination in matters of mutual interest. The two sides underscored the importance of joint action to support stability and development. The meeting was attended by several officials from both sides. Meanwhile, Sayyid Badr held a meeting on Wednesday with Youssef Raji, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants in the Lebanese Republic. The meeting took place upon the arrival of Sayyid Badr at Beirut International Airport, within the context of his official visit to Lebanon. During the meeting, the two sides exchanged cordial conversations on the bilateral relations between the two countries and the means of promoting them in various fields. The two sides underlined the importance of consultation and coordination in respect to regional and international developments of common concern. Also, Sayyid Badr met with Nabih Berri, Speaker of the Lebanese Parliament, in the Lebanese capital Beirut, on Wednesday. During the meeting, they discussed bilateral relations between the two countries and ways to enhance parliamentary and legislative cooperation between the two brotherly countries. They also discussed regional and international developments stressing the importance of joint cooperation to confront challenges and enhance stability in the region. The meeting was attended by a number of officials from both sides. — ONA
Saba Yemen
22-02-2025
- Politics
- Saba Yemen
Beirut airport witnesses exceptional traffic on Sayyed Nasrallah's & Safieddine's funeral
Beirut - Saba: Beirut International Airport witnessed a heavy movement of arrivals from various Arab countries who came to participate in the funeral of the late Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah and Commander Hashim Safieddine, scheduled for tomorrow, Sunday. Scenes from inside the airport campus today showed a large crowd as delegations from Algeria and Tunisia, in addition to other Arab countries, arrived to pay their respects and participate in this historic event. Sheikh Ali Da'adoush, head of the Supreme Committee for funeral ceremonies said: "Lebanon will not be an "Israeli" or Zionist outpost, but will remain a homeland of coexistence, national unity, resistance and national dignity." He added: "Tomorrow is the day of fulfillment, loyalty and pledge to the martyrs, and we will hear our voice. I am on the covenant, and we will continue this resistance." He also called for "the widest participation" in the funeral ceremonies, emphasizing that the scene should be "exceptional and inclusive." Video footage documented the convoys of citizens coming from the Bekaa Valley in eastern Lebanon to Beirut under difficult weather conditions and snowfall to participate in the funeral on Sunday. Hezbollah is preparing to hold the funeral of Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah on Sunday, almost five months after he was martyred in the southern suburbs of Beirut. The body of his successor Hashim Safieddine, who was martyred on October 3, 2024, will also be laid to rest. Whatsapp Telegram Email Print more of (International)
Al Manar
21-02-2025
- Politics
- Al Manar
Despite Provocations, Sayyed Nasrallah's Photo Raised in Beirut Int'l Airport
The video showing a Lebanese women refusing to put away the photo of late Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah at Beirut International Airport went viral on Thursday. Asmaa Bzeih, a Lebanese journalist, was subjected to provocations by two security forces and anti-resistance citizens at the airport. The security forces demanded that Bzeih remove the photo of Sayyed Nasrallah or leave the premises. Beiruts airport has become an Israeli vessel. The government is afraid of Iranian flights, Israeli threats and now pictures of the man whose missiles defended the airport for the last 18 years. A security officer in the airport tells a young woman either remove that picture (of… — Jawad (@levantupdates) February 20, 2025 She was filmed as insisting to hold the photo and responding to the security forces by saying that 'this is our country,' referring to the late leader whose funeral is to be held on Sunday. 'This is our country, and whoever has a problem [with the picture] can leave. This is the true Lebanon, not that one which is dictated by the Israeli enemy,' the young woman said. In an interview with UNews on Friday, Bzeih revealed that she was harassed by the security forces who also requested her relative to delete the filmed video. She was among the Lebanese nationals who were stranded in Iran over Israeli threats to target the airport if the Iranian plane carrying them would land in the facility last week. On Thursday, she returned to Lebanon, via Iraq, after the Lebanese government went ahead with a decision to prevent the Iranian planes from landing in Beirut International Airport.
