Iran accuses Israel of disrupting Lebanon flights amid rising tensions

Hezbollah and Lebanese officials deny Israel’s claims of using Beirut’s airport for arming the group.

Iran has accused Israel of disrupting flights from Tehran to Beirut after an Iranian plane was denied permission to land in Lebanon’s capital.

Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said on Friday that Israel had threatened a passenger plane carrying Lebanese citizens from Tehran “which caused a disruption in the country’s normal flights to Beirut airport”.

He condemned the alleged Israeli threat as a violation of international law. He also called for the International Civil Aviation Organization and other world bodies “to stop Israel’s dangerous behaviour against the safety and security of civil aviation”.

Later on Friday, Iran barred Lebanese planes from repatriating dozens of Lebanese nationals stranded in Iran, saying it would not allow Lebanese flights to land until its own flights were cleared to land in Beirut.

Iran’s ambassador to Beirut, Mojtaba Amani, told Iran’s state television on Friday that Iran would allow the planes to land only if Iranian flights were allowed to travel to Beirut.