Beirut Airport screens hacked with message to Nasrallah

"Hassan Nasrallah, you will have no defenders if Lebanon is dragged into war," was the message that appeared on the screens of Beirut International Airport (BIA) on Sunday evening, in place of the usual arrival and departure times. The announcement screens were hacked, as confirmed by Middle East Airlines.

This message was sent to the Secretary General of Hezbollah as the fire exchanges between the party and Israel along the border intensified after his last speech Friday afternoon.

In his speech, Nasrallah promised to respond to the assassination of Hamas's number two Saleh al-Arouri in Beirut, which he did in a "first retaliation" against a military base in northern Israel on Saturday.

"In the name of the Lord and the people, Beirut International Airport is not the airport of Hezbollah or Iran. Hassan Nasrallah, you will have no defenders if Lebanon is dragged into a war for which you will assume responsibility and consequences. Hezbollah, we will not go to war on behalf of anyone else. You blew up our port after bringing in weapons. May the airport be liberated from the yoke of the mini-state," read transit passengers and, shortly afterwards, the Lebanese in images widely shared on social networks.

Above the message, which refers to the party and its regional sponsor, the Islamic Republic of Iran, and to the double explosion in the port of Beirut on Aug. 4, 2020, are two logos. That of the "Saheb el-Kalam" page, an unidentified group that criticizes Hezbollah at every turn on social networks, and that of "Jnoud el-Rabb," the "Soldiers of God," a Beirut-based Christian extremist group. Sahel el-Kalam shared photos of the hacked screens on X (formerly Twitter).

Hezbollah is regularly accused by its critics of importing weapons via the airport, which is located in southern Beirut, the party's stronghold.

Hacking of the FIDS network

The FIDS (Flight Information Display System) network, which displays flight information at the airport, was hacked, according to a source at Middle East Airlines. When contacted, the airline's press office referred us to the Civil Aviation Authority. Fadi al-Hassan, its director, did not return our calls.

According to one of our journalists currently at BIA, all information screens are now switched off.

Several media reports said that messages also arrived on some people's phones, sent purportedly on behalf of the Internal Security Forces and the MEA, calling on passengers with flights scheduled to BIA to "follow the instructions of the security forces."

A source within MEA, however, denied that any statement was sent. "The company notifies passengers by e-mail or SMS in the event of an incident or emergency, but has not sent anything" on airport screens. "Flights are continuing as normal despite a technical failure affecting the baggage handling system, which is currently being repaired."

In an interview with Liban 24 media, the outgoing Minister of Public Works, Ali Hamiyeh, announced that "emergency meetings" are currently being held with the airport's administrative, security and technical officials "to get things back in order and to understand how the hacking took place." "We will pursue the investigation to the end," added the minister.

According to an MEA source who wishes to remain anonymous, other incidents of this kind have been reported. She reported that on the FlightRadar24 website, which provides flight information, a plane flying from Milan to Tel Aviv on Sunday was announced as "diverted to Beirut."

This type of hijacking has occurred several times since the start of the Israel-Hamas war, according to this source, each time involving aircraft bound for Israel. "As FlightRadar24 is not an official site, no one has corrected the hack," said the source.

According to this source, it is difficult to formally link this hacking with that of the FIDS network and SMS.

A flight listing on the FlightRadar24 website showing a Milan-Tel Aviv flight that was allegedly diverted to Beirut. (Credit: Screenshot)

The official National News Agency (NNA), the Internal Security Forces unit in charge of inspections at BIA has put in place an alternative plan to the BHS system for baggage inspection, after it was disrupted by the cyberattack. This alternative plan aims to "ensure normal passenger flow," in coordination with all other security and administrative bodies at the airport.

Our reporter on the scene said there was some confusion in the hall where passengers have to collect their baggage, due to lack of appropriate signage.

In a video posted on the "Soldiers of God" Facebook page, two men denied any involvement of their group in the cyber attack on BIA, accusing those behind the hack of seeking to "sow dissension."

This article was originally published in L'Orient-Le Jour.