Iran flights: Hezbollah urges reversal

Shafaq News/ On Sunday, Lebanon’s Hezbollah urged the government to reverse a ban on Iranian planes landing at Beirut airport, after a decision to block a Mahan Air flight triggered protests and clashes with security forces.

In a statement, Hezbollah said the government's decision to bar the Mahan Air flight from landing on Friday “violated Lebanon's sovereignty” and left Lebanese citizens stranded in Tehran. The party warned against allowing what it called “Israeli influence to shape national policies.”

Thousands of Hezbollah supporters gathered, on Saturday, near Rafic Hariri International Airport in a peaceful protest called for by the party to denounce “Israeli interference” and “the imposition of conditions on national sovereignty.” However, the demonstration turned violent when security forces fired tear gas to disperse the crowd, resulting in several injuries. Gunfire was reported, though it was unclear who was responsible.

إصابات في صفوف المتظاهرين على #طريق_المطار في #بيروت، بعد إطلاق الجيش قنابل مسيلة للدموع باتجاههم.#لبنان #الميادين_لبنان pic.twitter.com/Oza2ltE80l

— الميادين لبنان (@mayadeenlebanon) February 15, 2025

In response, Hezbollah condemned what it called an “unjustified assault on peaceful citizens” and demanded the army leadership “launch an urgent investigation into the incident and take appropriate measures.”

Mahmoud Qomati, deputy head of Hezbollah's Political Council, said during a speech at the protest site that the flight ban is “an insult to the Lebanese state and confirms the imposition of US conditions on it.” He reaffirmed the party’s rejection of any US dominance over Lebanon, stressing that “patience has its limits.”

“The Lebanese state remains under US diktats, and we do not accept that this nation be under American and Israeli control,” Qomati stated.