Lebanon Faces Challenge of Reopening Airport, Containing COVID-19

Lebanon will reopen its international airport on July 1. AFP file photo
Lebanon will reopen its international airport on July 1. AFP file photo
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Lebanon Faces Challenge of Reopening Airport, Containing COVID-19

Lebanon will reopen its international airport on July 1. AFP file photo
Lebanon will reopen its international airport on July 1. AFP file photo

Lebanon is facing a new challenge with the reopening of Beirut’s Rafik Hariri International Airport for commercial flights on July 1 even by keeping air traffic at a 10 percent capacity.

“Beirut’s airport opened last Wednesday for private flights, while commercial flights will resume Wednesday with a 10 percent capacity or around 20 flights per day with an expected 2,000 passengers,” Fadi al-Hassan, the facility’s manager, told Asharq Al-Awsat.

He did not expect an increase in the price of tickets contrary to the past phase when expatriates were evacuated from the country and planes returned half empty.

He predicted that Lebanon’s relatively limited cases of the COVID-19 disease will boost its attractiveness as a tourist destination this summer, particularly for Arabs and Lebanese expatriates.

Allowing flights to land in its international airport for the first time in more than three months means that Lebanon could face a hike in coronavirus cases.

Dr. Abdul Rahman Bizri, an infectious disease specialist and member of the emergency committee on coronavirus, told Asharq Al-Awsat that the opening of the airport is essential because several sectors are hinging on the return of tourists to support the dire economic situation.

In addition to the mandatory guidelines set by the airport to restrict the spread of the virus, concerned authorities expect to have individual and social responsibility to avoid a second wave of the pandemic.

“There is an immense responsibility on individuals to respect preventive measures to stop the country from entering a difficult phase,” he said, adding that the medical team tasked with fighting the outbreak is more capable than ever to deal with the pandemic.

PCR tests have become more available, said Bizri.

The Lebanese Health Ministry announced Sunday 21 new coronavirus infections, which raises the total number of confirmed cases to 1,740.

With an aim to contain the spread of the virus among passengers, Middle East Airlines (MEA) released guidelines and conditions for travelers arriving in Beirut starting July 1.

Passengers will be tested for COVID-19 upon arrival and asked to go into home quarantine if testing positive.

Social distancing signs were placed on the airport’s floor. Also, any passenger showing coronavirus symptoms is prohibited from boarding a plane to Lebanon.

Economy class passengers are not permitted to keep carry-ons in the cabin, while business passengers are allowed to do so, provided the luggage compartment marks them on check-in.



Netanyahu Says Israel Is Establishing a New Security Corridor across Gaza

An internally displaced Palestinian walks at the site of a UN clinic following an Israeli airstrike, in the Jabalia refugee camp, northern Gaza Strip, 02 April 2025. (EPA)
An internally displaced Palestinian walks at the site of a UN clinic following an Israeli airstrike, in the Jabalia refugee camp, northern Gaza Strip, 02 April 2025. (EPA)
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Netanyahu Says Israel Is Establishing a New Security Corridor across Gaza

An internally displaced Palestinian walks at the site of a UN clinic following an Israeli airstrike, in the Jabalia refugee camp, northern Gaza Strip, 02 April 2025. (EPA)
An internally displaced Palestinian walks at the site of a UN clinic following an Israeli airstrike, in the Jabalia refugee camp, northern Gaza Strip, 02 April 2025. (EPA)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel is establishing a new security corridor across the Gaza Strip.

In a statement on Wednesday, he described it as the Morag corridor, using the name of a Jewish settlement that once stood between Rafah and Khan Younis, suggesting it would run between the two southern cities.

His comments came as Palestinian officials at hospitals inside Gaza said Israeli strikes overnight and into Wednesday had killed more than 40 people, nearly a dozen of them children.

The Israeli government has long maintained a buffer zone just inside Gaza along its security fence and has greatly expanded since the war against Hamas began in 2023. Israel says the buffer zone is needed for its security, while Palestinians view it as a land grab that further shrinks the narrow coastal territory, home to around 2 million people.