Lebanon to Sue the British Telegraph Over Airport Report, Minister Says
(AWP) - Lebanon’s Minister of Public Works and Transport, Ali Hamie, refuted a report published by The Telegraph over the smuggling and storage of weapons at the Beirut – Rafic Hariri International Airport as “untrue”.
Hamie added that his government is preparing to file a lawsuit against the British daily newspaper for “tarnishing the airport’s reputation”.
In a press conference he held in the Lebanese capital, Hamie stressed that The Telegraph cited unknown and anonymous sources in its report, which claimed that weapons, missiles and explosives were being smuggled to and stored by the Lebanese Hezbollah group at the airport.
“I hope that the British Telegraph will verify with the transport department, which is the British Ministry of Transport, which made a field visit to the Rafic Hariri International Airport in Beirut on January 22nd, 2024, where it reached the airport’s fences and all its facilities, including the cargo, the passenger hall, the lower floors, and others. Let the Telegraph’s sources be the British transport department, which is primarily concerned with transport issues,” Hamie stressed during the presser.
“I contacted the Lebanese Prime Minister [Najib] Mikati. We are in the process of preparing a lawsuit against The Telegraph, because the report issued by The Telegraph is a statement that tarnishes the reputation of Rafic Hariri International Airport in Beirut,” he added.
Hamie pointed out that his ministry contacted the International Air Transport Association (IATA), whose anonymous sources were also cited in The Telegraph’s report.
Hamie confirmed that IATA officials said that they did not speak with the British paper and that “they categorically denied what was stated in the report”.