Lebanon Partially Reopens Airport after Virus Shutdown

In this March 5, 2020 file photo, workers spray disinfectant as a precaution against the coronavirus outbreak, at the Rafik Hariri International Airport, in Beirut, Lebanon. (AP)
In this March 5, 2020 file photo, workers spray disinfectant as a precaution against the coronavirus outbreak, at the Rafik Hariri International Airport, in Beirut, Lebanon. (AP)
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Lebanon Partially Reopens Airport after Virus Shutdown

In this March 5, 2020 file photo, workers spray disinfectant as a precaution against the coronavirus outbreak, at the Rafik Hariri International Airport, in Beirut, Lebanon. (AP)
In this March 5, 2020 file photo, workers spray disinfectant as a precaution against the coronavirus outbreak, at the Rafik Hariri International Airport, in Beirut, Lebanon. (AP)

Lebanon’s only international airport has reopened following a more than three-month shutdown as part of the country’s lockdown to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

The airport will operate at 10% capacity at first, bringing in around 2,000 travelers a day.

The first flight to arrive was Emirates from Dubai. Others scheduled Wednesday are from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, London and Paris.

Lebanon has been hit by an unprecedented economic and financial crisis and the government is hoping that the reopening of the airport will help bring in hard currency to prop up the economy.

Travelers from countries that do not provide PCR tests ahead of boarding will be tested upon arrival in Lebanon at the airline’s expense. Passengers must pay for a second test 72 hours later and will be required to quarantine if they test positive.



Israel Says it Killed Hezbollah Drone Commander in Airstrike

A damaged building in the southern suburb of Beirut following an Israeli raid, in Beirut, Lebanon, 26 September 2024. EPA/WAEL HAMZEH
A damaged building in the southern suburb of Beirut following an Israeli raid, in Beirut, Lebanon, 26 September 2024. EPA/WAEL HAMZEH
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Israel Says it Killed Hezbollah Drone Commander in Airstrike

A damaged building in the southern suburb of Beirut following an Israeli raid, in Beirut, Lebanon, 26 September 2024. EPA/WAEL HAMZEH
A damaged building in the southern suburb of Beirut following an Israeli raid, in Beirut, Lebanon, 26 September 2024. EPA/WAEL HAMZEH

The Israeli military said it killed a Hezbollah drone commander in an airstrike on an apartment building in Beirut’s southern suburbs.

Hezbollah did not immediately comment on Israel's claim that Mohammed Hussein Surour was dead.

"Following precise intelligence guidance from the Air Force and the Intelligence Division, fighter jets targeted and eliminated (Srour), the commander of Hezbollah's air unit, in Beirut," a military statement said.

The Lebanese Health Ministry said two people were killed and 15 wounded in the strike.

"The Israeli enemy strike on Beirut's southern suburbs killed two people and wounded 15, including a woman in critical condition," a ministry statement said.

The strike came two days after a similar attack killed a senior Hezbollah military commander with the group’s missile unit.

Israeli strikes have killed more than 630 people in Lebanon since Monday, about a quarter of them women and children. Hezbollah has fired hundreds of projectiles towards Israel over the past week, including a surface-to-surface missile toward Tel Aviv that was intercepted Wednesday.