Airport whistleblowers have alleged that Hezbollah is storing large quantities of Iranian weapons, missiles, and explosives at Beirut's main civilian airport, according to the Telegraph.
Among the weapons allegedly stored at Rafic Hariri International Airport are Iranian-made Falaq artillery rockets, Fateh-110 and M-600 short-range missiles, and road-mobile ballistic missiles with ranges exceeding 150 miles. The whistleblowers also claim the presence of AT-14 Kornet anti-tank guided missiles, Burkan short-range ballistic missiles, and RDX explosives.
An airport worker expressed fears about the potential consequences of an attack or explosion at the airport, drawing comparisons to the devastating 2020 Beirut port blast. "Beirut will be cut off from the world, not to mention the number of casualties and damage," the worker warned. "It's just a matter of time before a disaster also happens at the airport," he told the Telegraph.
While accusations of Hezbollah using the civilian airport for weapon storage have surfaced before, the whistleblowers claim the activity has intensified since October. In November, "unusually big boxes" arrived on a direct flight from Iran. "This doesn't happen often, but it did happen exactly when everyone in Lebanon was talking about the possibility of war," the first worker added.
Another whistleblower claimed: "For years I have been watching Hezbollah operating at Beirut airport, but when they do it during a war, it turns the airport into a target. Another airport employee noted, "If they keep bringing in these goods I'm not allowed to check, I really believe I'll die from the explosion or I'll die from Israel bombing the goods."
The whistleblowers also allege that Wafiq Safa, Hezbollah's second-in-command and head of its security apparatus, is frequently present at the airport customs area. Workers collaborating with Hezbollah "walk around like peacocks" with new watches and smartphones, and drive new cars. "A lot of money is being passed under the table," he explained.
Ghassan Hasbani, former deputy prime minister and a member of parliament for the Lebanese Forces party, expressed longstanding concerns about Hezbollah's control of the airport. He emphasized the difficulty in addressing the issue, stating, "The last time the government tried to take action in 2008, there was a violent reaction by Hezbollah."
Hasbani called for action to assess risks at the airport, fearing a repeat of the 2020 port disaster. However, he acknowledged the challenges, noting, "It's very difficult to know who can take action. The entrenchment of Hezbollah is everywhere, not only
in the airport but in the port, the judiciary, it's across society. The public administration now is largely hijacked by Hezbollah and it's very difficult to remove that without changing the militia-backed power game that exists today." He emphasized the need for international intervention to implement relevant UN resolutions.
Hezbollah's strategy to hide weapons and operate from civilian neighborhoods stems from its intentions to draw the IDF to target these civilian areas in times of escalation.
These revelations come amid ongoing tensions in the region, with Israel having previously carried out strikes on airports in Syria to disrupt Iranian weapons transfers to its proxies, including Hezbollah.
