Fadlallah denounces security inspection of Iranian plane at Beirut airport, LF commends it

BEIRUT — Prominent Shiite cleric Ali Fadlallah denounced on Saturday the way Lebanese people coming from Iran were "treated by a humiliating search process,” according to the state-run National News Agency (NNA).

An Iranian commercial plane was subjected to thorough security inspections at Rafik Hariri International Airport on Thursday night over suspicions that it was carrying money for Hezbollah, sparking outrage among passengers.

After the incident, Lebanon's Foreign Ministry received a message from the Iranian Embassy in Beirut regarding the contents of two "small diplomatic suitcases" carried by an Iranian diplomat aboard the fight. According to the embassy, the suitcases contained "documents and banknotes intended to cover operational expenses exclusively for embassy use," the statement said. 

"We were and still are among those who call for the implementation of laws that protect the sovereignty of the state and preserve the security of the airport," Fadlallah said.

"Is this the best way to apply the law and protect sovereignty?” he asked, while expressing his fear that "this decision may have internal backgrounds or be subject to external dictates."

He finally warned of serious repercussions on Lebanon ”from this inhumane behavior," warning that this could harm Lebanon's relationship with neighboring countries.

Commenting on the same incident, the Lebanese Forces (LF) said on Saturday that caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati, Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi and the Airport security agency have "acted according to the requirements of the supreme national interest and the laws in force."

"All sovereign parties, forces, and figures should stand behind those who took this measure and support them in the face of the other team's threats," the party's media department said according to the state-run National News Agency.

"No country can send money in this manner to a specific Lebanese sectarian party, especially if the country in question is Iran, which is under international sanctions and has been interfering directly in Lebanese affairs for the past three decades, fueling conflicts in Lebanon," the LF stated.