The Air Transport Union also held the media outlet, along with “those who report on it and spread its falsehoods,” accountable for the safety of all personnel working at Beirut Airport across its facilities.
The Air Transport Union in Lebanon (UTA) has refuted The Telegraph’s report alleging that “Hezbollah stores missiles and explosives at Lebanon’s main airport,” criticizing the claims as unsubstantiated.
The UTA dismissed The Telegraph’s allegations as “mere illusions and lies aimed at endangering Beirut Airport and its civilian workers, as well as travelers to and from it, all of whom are civilians.”
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The Air Transport Union also held the media outlet, along with “those who report on it and spread its falsehoods,” accountable for the safety of all personnel working at Beirut Airport across its facilities, including the passenger terminal, departure and arrival areas, the apron, maintenance, and civil air cargo.
In its statement, the UTA invited all Lebanese, Arab, and foreign media outlets to visit Beirut Airport “with their camera crews and verify for themselves, otherwise, we consider what is being promoted by suspicious media outlets as incitement to kill us.”
Lebanon’s Caretaker Minister of Public Works and Transport, Ali Hamieh, addressed the issue in a press conference, stating that “Beirut Airport has been subjected to disinformation for years.”
Hamieh criticized the British daily for publishing a “ridiculous” and baseless report citing anonymous sources and suggested they should have consulted the British Department of Transport, which conducted a field visit to the airport on January 22, 2024.
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“This is the primary authority responsible for transportation matters at the airport,” he stated.
Hamieh questioned the paper’s credibility, asking, “Is it conceivable that a reputable newspaper would change its sources within an hour?”
The caretaker minister also invited all media outlets and ambassadors or their representatives to visit the airport tomorrow at 10:30 am for a tour of all airport facilities to verify that the airport is strictly a civilian infrastructure and that no weapons are being smuggled through it.
“We have nothing to hide,” he maintained.
Furthermore, Hamieh announced plans to file a lawsuit against the newspaper, promising to provide more details later.
(PC, Al-Mayadeen)
