Smoke rises from the site of an Israeli air strike targeting an area near Rafic Hariri International Airport in the southern suburbs of the Beirut early on Nov. 7, 2024. (Credit: Fadel Itani/AFP)
Never has the threat seemed so serious. On Thursday night, despite the American appeals to spare it, the Israeli air force targeted next to the country’s only airport. While this operation may seem to be a response to the rocket Hezbollah fired near Ben-Gurion Airport a few hours earlier, it nonetheless points to the likelihood of a no-holds-barred escalation between the two warring sides. The Lebanese authorities have been mobilized (in a bid) to obtain international guarantees that the airport will remain safe and Beirut is banking on the position of the U.S. to continue pressuring its Israeli ally to spare the airport, according to Lebanese governmental and parliamentary circles.At least four strikes, including a very powerful one near the airport, were fired on Wednesday night, after the Israeli army’s Arabic-language spokesperson,...
Never has the threat seemed so serious. On Thursday night, despite the American appeals to spare it, the Israeli air force targeted next to the country’s only airport. While this operation may seem to be a response to the rocket Hezbollah fired near Ben-Gurion Airport a few hours earlier, it nonetheless points to the likelihood of a no-holds-barred escalation between the two warring sides. The Lebanese authorities have been mobilized (in a bid) to obtain international guarantees that the airport will remain safe and Beirut is banking on the position of the U.S. to continue pressuring its Israeli ally to spare the airport, according to Lebanese governmental and parliamentary circles.At least four strikes, including a very powerful one near the airport, were fired on Wednesday night, after the Israeli army’s Arabic-language...