A scheduled diplomatic and media tour by the Lebanese government to confirm Hezbollah is not storing weapons at Beirut’s Rafic Hariri International Airport was cut short when the hosts prevented attendees from entering several cargo-handling areas, according to a report by Al-Hadath.
The Saudi Arabian news broadcaster reported that the event was arranged by Lebanon’s Minister of Public Works and Transport, Ali Hamieh, to dispel a Sunday article by the British newspaper The Telegraph accusing the airport operators of allowing Tehran-supplied munitions to be stockpiled on the grounds.
The armaments were said to include anti-tank projectiles, artillery rockets, ballistic missiles, and high explosives.
An employee of Al-Hadath who was present for the affair, Ghinwa Yateem, alleged security officials were preventing “journalists from entering the cargo center at the airport” and adding that authorities “did not let us film or enter certain areas.”
Although the foreign envoys were permitted to view a specific warehouse, separate from the correspondents, they were reportedly only allowed to check a single near-empty building that accounted for about 20 percent of the complex’s total storage capacity.
The Telegraph’s speculations come as Jerusalem has expressed concern about the information over fear of civilian casualties if they were forced to attack the military provisions to prevent their use in incursions on the Jewish state.
Lebanese Foreign Affairs Minister Abdallah Bou Habib, Tourism Minister Walid Nassar, and Information Minister Ziad Makary were also in attendance.
Related Story: Hezbollah is Storing Islamic Republic Supplied Munitions at Rafic Hariri International Airport: Report
