on Friday 9 December, 2022

Israel said to suspect new Iranian attempt to smuggle weapons through Beirut airport

Illustrative: A Meraj Airlines jet at Istanbul's Ataturk Airport in 2019 (Video screenshot; used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)
by : Times of Israel

Channel 12 reports that Israel is tracking a new Iranian attempt to establish a weapons smuggling route via civilian airline flights to Beirut.

The network says Tehran is using the airline Meraj, which recently started flying a direct route between the two nations’ capitals.

The unsourced report says the new smuggling route is a result of Israel’s activities to thwart Iranian weapons transfers via Damascus.

It says Israel has warned that it could carry out strikes at Beirut International Airport to thwart weapons deliveries as it has done in Damascus. But Channel 12’s Nir Dvori notes that significant strikes on Hezbollah’s home turf could lead to reprisals by the terror group, which has significant firepower pointed at Israel, creating a dilemma for Jerusalem.