Smoke rises from the site of an Israeli air strike targeting an area near Rafic Hariri International Airport in the southern suburbs of the city early on Nov. 7, 2024. (Credit: Fadel Itani/AFP or licensed)
Lebanon's outgoing Public Works Minister, Ali Hamiyeh, said on Thursday morning that Beirut's airport was continuing to operate “normally,” after Israeli strikes hit the outskirts of the Rafic Hariri International Airport (RHIA) overnight. “Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport is operating normally,” the minister wrote on X.
At least four strikes, including a very powerful one near RHIA, were reported at around 1 a.m. on Wednesday night, after the Israeli army's Arabic-speaking spokesperson Avichay Adraee announced a new sequence of strikes, during which he called on residents of the Ouzai, Haret Hreik, Hadath and Tahouitat al-Ghadir neighborhoods to evacuate. One of the calls for evacuation concerned a building in the Ouzai district, located in an area nestled between two RHIA runways, below the Beirut-Saida highway.
No buildings hit
“After the strike very close to the airport, which targeted a hangar in the Ouzai district [where the RHIA is located], the runways were hit by shrapnel, stones and large pieces of scrap metal,” an informed source told L'Orient-Le Jour, speaking on condition of anonymity. “But the runways were checked and cleared early this morning. Flights have resumed as normal. Employees are also present,” the source said, adding that the buildings have not been affected. “A few lights and windows just blew out, because of the blast,” the source added.
Contacted by L'Orient-Le Jour for further information, a source within the Middle East Airlines (MEA) said, on condition of anonymity, that the premises and fleet of the national aviation company suffered no damage. “A few windows were just blown out in the maintenance company's premises,” the source observed, adding that "the Israeli strike was particularly close to the airport."
'The whole parking lot shook'
Abou Elie, a cab driver, was at the airport at the time of the strike. “The whole parking lot shook,” he told AFP. “People carried their suitcases and started running,” he added, indicating that the area was covered in thick smoke.
We were unable to reach RHIA General Manager Fadi al-Hassan for further details. But the airport's online departures and arrivals board reports the usual movement of MEA flights for the day, bearing in mind that the national carrier is the only one to continue operating at RHIA, since the assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, killed on Sept. 27 in the southern suburbs of Beirut by a series of violent Israeli strikes.
This strike on Ouzai, just 200 meters from the RHIA runway, came after Hezbollah rockets had been fired on Wednesday afternoon in the immediate vicinity of Tel Aviv's Ben Gourion airport.
On Oct. 22, an Israeli strike had already targeted Ouzai, at the port of this district located near the end of RHIA's main runway.
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