Emirati businessman Khalaf Al Habtoor criticized Hezbollah’s influence in Lebanon following an attack on a U.N. convoy near Rafik Hariri International Airport, calling it proof that "armed militias impose their dominance without deterrence." In a Facebook post on Saturday, he warned that Lebanon cannot recover as long as Hezbollah operates "above the state, without accountability or oversight."

At least two Nepalese U.N. peacekeepers were wounded Friday after a group of Hezbollah-aligned protesters set a U.N. vehicle on fire near the airport.

According to a statement from the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), the convoy was attacked while transporting troops to the airport. UNIFIL’s outgoing deputy force commander, who was returning home after completing his mission, was injured.

Hezbollah supporters blocked the Beirut airport road and burned tires Friday to protest a decision barring two Iranian planes from landing in the Lebanese capital, state media and an airport official said.

Some protesters waved Hezbollah's yellow flag and held pictures of Hassan Nasrallah, killed in an Israeli strike in September, as well as Iran's slain Revolutionary Guard commander Qasem Soleimani.

“Instead of prosecuting criminals and holding them accountable for the destruction they have brought to Lebanon, they are being given seats in the new government and allowed to continue in Parliament and political life as if they were saviors! How can a country be built by those who have destroyed it? And how can they speak of 'salvation' when they are the root of the tragedy?” Habtoor wrote.

“Those who rule by arms know only destruction. And those who allow militias to roam freely will not build a nation; they will only remain hostage to foreign agendas that consume its sovereignty, economy, and future,” he added.

Habtoor insisted that Hezbollah does not “represent the whole Shiite community,” arguing that “the destroyers must pay the price for their crimes. A state cannot be built on a gang mentality, and a country has no future if its decisions are held hostage by a faction that thrives on chaos and destruction. Lebanon needs statesmen, not warlords.”

“The state must impose its full sovereignty, starting with banning the raising of any political or partisan flag other than the Lebanese national flag under legal liability. There is no legitimacy except for the flag of the nation, and no allegiance except to the homeland,” he said.

On the discussion of opening new airports, Habtoor concluded that “it may be necessary for economic reasons in the long run, but it should not serve as an escape from facing reality or an attempt to avoid removing the militias’ grip on Beirut airport and all Lebanese territories.”

The head of the Al Habtoor Group conglomerate had said in late January in an interview with Reuters that Lebanon is still unsafe. He revealed that he was threatened with being "slaughtered and killed" in 2024 after announcing the cancellation of all his planned investments in the country.

"I was threatened, and not just with a slap or something light. If that were the case, it wouldn't be serious, but I was threatened to be killed and slaughtered," Habtoor said, speaking on Zoom from a hotel he owns in Budapest. The threat, made on social media by an anonymous person, led him to file a complaint, which he won in a Lebanese court, he said.

When asked whether he would reconsider investing in Lebanon amid ongoing government formation talks, Habtoor said that if the country can provide security and protection, he "would definitely return."