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Beirut Flights Canceled, Delayed amid Fears of Israeli Attack

(FILES) Middle East Airlines' A321NEO plane is seen on the tarmac of Rafic Hariri international airport in the Lebanese capital Beirut, on August 10, 2022. (Photo by Roy ISSA / AFP)
(FILES) Middle East Airlines' A321NEO plane is seen on the tarmac of Rafic Hariri international airport in the Lebanese capital Beirut, on August 10, 2022. (Photo by Roy ISSA / AFP)
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Beirut Flights Canceled, Delayed amid Fears of Israeli Attack

(FILES) Middle East Airlines' A321NEO plane is seen on the tarmac of Rafic Hariri international airport in the Lebanese capital Beirut, on August 10, 2022. (Photo by Roy ISSA / AFP)
(FILES) Middle East Airlines' A321NEO plane is seen on the tarmac of Rafic Hariri international airport in the Lebanese capital Beirut, on August 10, 2022. (Photo by Roy ISSA / AFP)

Flights at Beirut airport have been canceled or delayed with Lebanon's Middle East Airlines (MEA) saying disruptions to its schedule were related to insurance risks, as tensions escalate between Israel and armed political group Hezbollah.
Lufthansa on Monday said it had suspended five routes to and from Beirut by the group's carriers Swiss International Air Lines, Eurowings and Lufthansa up to and including July 30 "in an abundance of caution".
A rocket strike that killed 12 teenagers and children in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights on Saturday has added to concerns that Israel and the Iran-backed group could engage in a full-scale war, Reuters said.
Israel's security cabinet on Sunday authorized the government to respond to the strike. Hezbollah denied any responsibility for the attack, the deadliest in Israel or Israeli-annexed territory since Hamas' Oct. 7 assault sparked the war in Gaza, which has since spread to several fronts.
Beirut airport's flight information board and flight tracking website Flightradar24 show Turkish Airlines also canceled two flights overnight on Sunday.
Türkiye-based budget carrier SunExpress, Turkish Airlines subsidiary AJet, Greek carrier Aegean Airlines, Ethiopian Air and MEA have also canceled flights scheduled to land in Beirut on Monday, Flightradar24 shows.
The airlines did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Beirut-Rafic Hariri International Airport is Lebanon's only airport. It has been targeted in the country's civil war, and previous fighting with Israel, including in the last war between Hezbollah and Israel in 2006.
On Sunday, MEA said it had delayed the departure of some flights set to land in Beirut overnight. Additional delays to flights landing on Monday were then announced due to "technical reasons related to the distribution of insurance risks for aircraft between Lebanon and other destinations", MEA said.
Hezbollah and the Israeli military have increased cross-border exchanges of fire since the Gaza war began. The conflict has disrupted flights and shipping across the region, including during reciprocal drone and missile attacks between Israel and Iran in April.
Lufthansa has already suspended night-time flights to and from Beirut for July due to "current developments" in the Middle East.

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Hezbollah’s Tunnels: Safe Haven Against Israeli Ground Assault

Smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike in southern Lebanon. Reuters
Smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike in southern Lebanon. Reuters
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Hezbollah’s Tunnels: Safe Haven Against Israeli Ground Assault

Smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike in southern Lebanon. Reuters
Smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike in southern Lebanon. Reuters

Israel has voiced fresh concerns about Hezbollah’s tunnel network in southern Lebanon, seeing it as a major advantage for the group amid growing threats of a broader conflict along the Lebanese-Israeli border.

These concerns are supported by security reports, including one from the French newspaper “Libération” earlier this year.

The report claims that Hezbollah’s tunnels are more advanced than those of Hamas in Gaza, stretching for hundreds of kilometers with branches reaching into Israel and possibly Syria.

Experts warn that this network could pose significant challenges for the Israeli military if it decides to invade southern Lebanon.

Military expert Brigadier General Dr. Hassan Jouni says Hezbollah's tunnels are crucial for countering Israeli attacks.

“These tunnels offer a safe way to move and are a key part of Hezbollah’s strategy,” Jouni told Asharq Al-Awsat.

He added that the tunnels help balance the fight against Israel’s air superiority, making combat more about underground movements.

Jouni, former head of the Lebanese Army Command and Staff College, emphasized that the tunnels are a major strength for Hezbollah. They enable the group to move fighters, weapons, and missiles secretly, allowing for unexpected maneuvers in battle.

The Alma Research and Education Center, dedicated to researching the security challenges on Israel’s northern borders, reported that since the 2006 Lebanon War, Hezbollah, with assistance from North Korean and Iranian experts, has developed a regional tunnel network in Lebanon that surpasses Hamas’ metro in Gaza.

The center notes that southern Lebanon’s terrain—characterized by rocky hills and valleys—differs significantly from Gaza’s, making the task of digging tunnels up to 10 kilometers deep into Israeli territory particularly challenging.

The center suggests that the Israeli estimates struggle to accept the possibility that Hezbollah could have successfully excavated such extensive tunnels through this rugged terrain.

According to Alma, achieving this would be an extraordinary feat, potentially considered a major military embarrassment rather than a mere failure for Israel.

Israel targets sites it believes are military, missile, or weapon storage areas in its confrontations with Hezbollah but struggles to map or fully understand the group’s tunnel network.

Jouni points out that Hezbollah has built its tunnels with advanced techniques, benefiting from favorable conditions and possibly using technology from North Korea.

Jouni suggests that these tunnels enhance Hezbollah’s ability to conduct guerilla warfare and might even be used for military operations, potentially reaching into the occupied Palestinian territories.

Unlike Hamas, Hezbollah hasn’t publicized its tunnel network despite increasing Israeli threats and the risk of a ground invasion. This secrecy suggests Israel may lack detailed information about the tunnels and fears potential surprises.

Dr. Riadh Kahwaji, a Middle East security and defense analyst and director of the Institute for Near East and Gulf Military Analysis (INEGMA), says Hezbollah’s extensive tunnels allow safe underground movement while Israel, with its strong air superiority, can only monitor surface activity.

Kahwaji explains that, similar to Gaza, where tunnels serve various functions, Hezbollah’s network is even larger and more complex.