Iran responds after Lebanon bars flights
Shafaq News/ Iran’s Civil Aviation Authority denied a request from Lebanon’s Middle East Airlines (MEA) to land two aircraft in Tehran, insisting that the request must be processed through Lebanon’s Foreign Ministry under bilateral regulations.
The Lebanese embassy in Tehran received MEA’s request, and the ambassador to Iran is preparing an official letter to be sent to Iran’s Foreign Ministry, which would approve and relay the authorization to Iranian aviation authorities. However, the ambassador pointed out that Friday’s public holiday in Iran could delay the process.
The dispute left hundreds of Lebanese passengers stranded at Tehran’s airport for more than four hours after their scheduled Iran Air flight to Beirut was canceled due to the lack of landing clearance in Beirut.
A Beirut airport official stated that the airport received a request from the Ministry of Public Works and Transport to inform Iran's Mahan Air that two of its flights to Beirut—one scheduled for Thursday evening and another for Friday—would not be permitted to land. The official added that both flights had been postponed until next week, without specifying the reason.
In response, protesters blocked roads near Beirut’s airport, burning tires and condemning the Lebanese government’s decision as a violation of sovereignty. The backlash was amplified by an earlier statement from an Israeli military spokesperson, who accused Iran’s Quds Force and Hezbollah of “exploiting” Beirut’s airport in recent weeks to smuggle funds for Hezbollah’s military operations against Israel.
#عاجل ‼️ يستغل فيلق القدس الإيراني وحزب الله الارهابي على مدار الأسابيع الأخيرة #مطار_بيروت الدولي من خلال رحلات مدنية وذلك في محاولة لتهريب أموال مخصصة لتسلح حزب الله بهدف تنفيذ اعتداءات ضد دولة إسرائيل. 🔸يبقى جيش الدفاع على تواصل مع آلية المراقبة لتطبيق وقف إطلاق النار وينقل…
— افيخاي ادرعي (@AvichayAdraee) February 12, 2025
Hezbollah rejected the allegations, denouncing Israel’s "escalating violations of Lebanese sovereignty" and accusing the international community—particularly the United States—of complicity. The group called for global condemnation of Israel’s actions and urged international bodies to intervene.
The aviation dispute comes just weeks after Lebanese authorities conducted a thorough inspection of an Iranian plane carrying a diplomatic delegation on January 3, a move that sparked political controversy.
