The Lebanese military militia, Hezbollah, is a formidable opponent of Israel; indeed, it is the key pawn which Iran uses to attack Israel. But that reality can obscure the fact that the Western-recognised terror group also targets the Lebanese population. As the situation in the Middle East is becoming more volatile by the day, the situation in Lebanon is increasingly relevant.
Lebanon was once the ‘Switzerland of the Middle East,’ with a Christian majority living on good terms alongside Muslims, who incidentally have a very secular interpretation of their faith. The influx of Palestinian refugees certainly seems to have played a role in the particularly bloody civil war that tore the country apart in the 1970s and ’80s.
The power wielded by Hezbollah in Lebanon became evident to the whole world with the explosion at the port of Beirut, now 4 years ago. The disaster resulted from the fact that some 2,700 tonnes of ammonium nitrate had been stored there, flouting basic safety rules. At least 218 people were killed, and over 6,000 injured, in widespread damage across the city. It is considered the largest non-nuclear explosion of the 21st century.
Hezbollah was fairly quickly identified as a possible culprit, given its control over the port. According to a former justice official who spoke to AFP, Hezbollah has a “free pass” to transport goods at the port because of its ties with customs and port officials. Even before the disaster, in 2019, the U.S. had imposed sanctions on Wafiq Safa, a Hezbollah security official, for “using Lebanese ports and border crossings to smuggle contraband and facilitate travel on behalf of Hezbollah, undermining the security of the Lebanese people and diverting valuable import duties and revenues from the Lebanese government.”
Tellingly, Hezbollah threatened a judge who wanted to investigate the disaster. Despite protests, no one has been held responsible, even four years after the fact. Western diplomats say there is a manifest lack of political will to do so.
Beirut airport
Just as it controls the port, Hezbollah reportedly controls Beirut airport. Since at least the start of the Israeli operation in Gaza, in 2023, the terror group has been said to stockpile weapons there, according to witnesses quoted by The Telegraph.
Hezbollah is said to have “impressive quantities of missiles,” acquired mainly from Iran, though it is struggling to store this arsenal in optimal security conditions. Much of the material is said to be in civilian locations in and around Beirut. Consequently, if it were to come to a direct conflict with Israel, we may well see situations similar to those in the ongoing Gaza conflict, with Hamas using the population as human shields.
Mohamed Sifaoui, a French expert on Islamism, describes in a recent piece that his sources confirm The Telegraph’s claims. Reportedly, the U.S.-sanctioned Wafiq Safa has now risen to the number two position within Hezbollah and has become head of the security apparatus. Remarkably, he has also become a notable figure at the airport. “Wafiq Safa always appears at customs,” claims a source quoted in The Telegraph. Furthermore, employees working with Hezbollah are said to be able to afford new watches and smartphones, and they drive new cars: “A lot of money is being funnelled under the table.”
Israel is not the only one concerned. According to former Lebanese deputy prime minister Ghassan Hasbani, Hezbollah’s control of the airport has long been a concern for Lebanon, all the more so as it increasingly becomes a potential military target in the conflict with Israel. He further explains,
Many Gulf states have sometimes banned their citizens from travelling [to Beirut]. … The area around the airport is controlled by Hezbollah, so many people are worried about passing through Beirut airport. … Weapons—being transported from Iran to Hezbollah through border crossings—or even weapon parts endanger both the Lebanese people and non-Lebanese travelling through and living in the country.
European airlines have also been avoiding the airport since the conflict with Israel escalated last month. According to Hasbani, taking action is almost impossible, because “Hezbollah’s entrenchment is everywhere, not only at the airport, but also in the port, in the judiciary, in the whole society. … Public administration is now largely hijacked by Hezbollah and it is very difficult to remove that without changing the current militia-backed power game.”
A danger to Europe
Hezbollah is not just a problem for the Lebanese population. It also poses a danger to Europe. As recently as June, the organisation threatened Cyprus, warning against giving military support to Israel. Also this summer, Germany banned the Islamic Centre Hamburg, an organisation that has been under a months-long investigation for its alleged support of the Lebanese Hezbollah group and links to Iran. Hezbollah has also carried out attacks in Europe in the past: in France during the 1980s, and in Bulgaria in 2012. It also uses Europe as a base to launder money, for example, through drug trafficking.
The terror group is still being challenged at home. As recently as January, Christian Lebanese hackers carried out a cyber attack on Beirut airport, forcing it to close. It indicates that there is also strong opposition to Hezbollah within Lebanon. For this reason, too, foreign countries must continue to demand clarification of responsibility for the 2020 explosion, which can only be done through greater transparency within the thoroughly corrupt country. Certainly the European Union, which has already transferred millions to Lebanon, must demand clarification.
Even more important is to obtain assurances that the national airport will only be used for civilian purposes, and not as an arms depot for Hezbollah. European governments can and should put more pressure on Lebanon on this issue. Indirectly, doing so will also avoid the risk of further escalation of the conflict. As always, ‘sunlight is the best disinfectant.’
A security source at a major international aviation body recently confided, “We have been aware of this for years, but we are unable to do anything without international legal action. We are hand tied to do what we’d really like, which is to close the airport and have all the weapons and explosives removed.” Often, there isn’t much the international community can do to improve the situation in a country. Here, more pressure on Lebanon to end the military use of its international airport could benefit everyone, not only in the Middle East, but in Europe as well.
Europe and the Middle East: An Opportunity
The Lebanese military militia, Hezbollah, is a formidable opponent of Israel; indeed, it is the key pawn which Iran uses to attack Israel. But that reality can obscure the fact that the Western-recognised terror group also targets the Lebanese population. As the situation in the Middle East is becoming more volatile by the day, the situation in Lebanon is increasingly relevant.
Lebanon was once the ‘Switzerland of the Middle East,’ with a Christian majority living on good terms alongside Muslims, who incidentally have a very secular interpretation of their faith. The influx of Palestinian refugees certainly seems to have played a role in the particularly bloody civil war that tore the country apart in the 1970s and ’80s.
The power wielded by Hezbollah in Lebanon became evident to the whole world with the explosion at the port of Beirut, now 4 years ago. The disaster resulted from the fact that some 2,700 tonnes of ammonium nitrate had been stored there, flouting basic safety rules. At least 218 people were killed, and over 6,000 injured, in widespread damage across the city. It is considered the largest non-nuclear explosion of the 21st century.
Hezbollah was fairly quickly identified as a possible culprit, given its control over the port. According to a former justice official who spoke to AFP, Hezbollah has a “free pass” to transport goods at the port because of its ties with customs and port officials. Even before the disaster, in 2019, the U.S. had imposed sanctions on Wafiq Safa, a Hezbollah security official, for “using Lebanese ports and border crossings to smuggle contraband and facilitate travel on behalf of Hezbollah, undermining the security of the Lebanese people and diverting valuable import duties and revenues from the Lebanese government.”
Tellingly, Hezbollah threatened a judge who wanted to investigate the disaster. Despite protests, no one has been held responsible, even four years after the fact. Western diplomats say there is a manifest lack of political will to do so.
Beirut airport
Just as it controls the port, Hezbollah reportedly controls Beirut airport. Since at least the start of the Israeli operation in Gaza, in 2023, the terror group has been said to stockpile weapons there, according to witnesses quoted by The Telegraph.
Hezbollah is said to have “impressive quantities of missiles,” acquired mainly from Iran, though it is struggling to store this arsenal in optimal security conditions. Much of the material is said to be in civilian locations in and around Beirut. Consequently, if it were to come to a direct conflict with Israel, we may well see situations similar to those in the ongoing Gaza conflict, with Hamas using the population as human shields.
Mohamed Sifaoui, a French expert on Islamism, describes in a recent piece that his sources confirm The Telegraph’s claims. Reportedly, the U.S.-sanctioned Wafiq Safa has now risen to the number two position within Hezbollah and has become head of the security apparatus. Remarkably, he has also become a notable figure at the airport. “Wafiq Safa always appears at customs,” claims a source quoted in The Telegraph. Furthermore, employees working with Hezbollah are said to be able to afford new watches and smartphones, and they drive new cars: “A lot of money is being funnelled under the table.”
Israel is not the only one concerned. According to former Lebanese deputy prime minister Ghassan Hasbani, Hezbollah’s control of the airport has long been a concern for Lebanon, all the more so as it increasingly becomes a potential military target in the conflict with Israel. He further explains,
European airlines have also been avoiding the airport since the conflict with Israel escalated last month. According to Hasbani, taking action is almost impossible, because “Hezbollah’s entrenchment is everywhere, not only at the airport, but also in the port, in the judiciary, in the whole society. … Public administration is now largely hijacked by Hezbollah and it is very difficult to remove that without changing the current militia-backed power game.”
A danger to Europe
Hezbollah is not just a problem for the Lebanese population. It also poses a danger to Europe. As recently as June, the organisation threatened Cyprus, warning against giving military support to Israel. Also this summer, Germany banned the Islamic Centre Hamburg, an organisation that has been under a months-long investigation for its alleged support of the Lebanese Hezbollah group and links to Iran. Hezbollah has also carried out attacks in Europe in the past: in France during the 1980s, and in Bulgaria in 2012. It also uses Europe as a base to launder money, for example, through drug trafficking.
The terror group is still being challenged at home. As recently as January, Christian Lebanese hackers carried out a cyber attack on Beirut airport, forcing it to close. It indicates that there is also strong opposition to Hezbollah within Lebanon. For this reason, too, foreign countries must continue to demand clarification of responsibility for the 2020 explosion, which can only be done through greater transparency within the thoroughly corrupt country. Certainly the European Union, which has already transferred millions to Lebanon, must demand clarification.
Even more important is to obtain assurances that the national airport will only be used for civilian purposes, and not as an arms depot for Hezbollah. European governments can and should put more pressure on Lebanon on this issue. Indirectly, doing so will also avoid the risk of further escalation of the conflict. As always, ‘sunlight is the best disinfectant.’
A security source at a major international aviation body recently confided, “We have been aware of this for years, but we are unable to do anything without international legal action. We are hand tied to do what we’d really like, which is to close the airport and have all the weapons and explosives removed.” Often, there isn’t much the international community can do to improve the situation in a country. Here, more pressure on Lebanon to end the military use of its international airport could benefit everyone, not only in the Middle East, but in Europe as well.
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