Israeli Occupation Army Claims Military Blockade on Lebanon, “Closing Crossings with Syria”

The Hebrew site “Walla” reported on Saturday evening that the Israeli occupation army has imposed a military blockade on Lebanon following the assassinations and the destruction of Hezbollah’s military capabilities.

The Israeli occupation army stated that it has enforced a blockade on the land borders, halting all military movements of the Lebanese army after bombing the border crossings between Syria and Lebanon, including thwarting attempts by bulldozers to repair the crossings.

It was also reported that an Iranian aircraft, en route from Iraq to Lebanon, received a warning from the Israeli army and was forced to turn back.

The occupation army clarified that any Iranian ships reaching the area would receive a similar warning.

Earlier, Lebanese Minister of Public Works and Transportation Ali Hamieh instructed Rafic Hariri International Airport to deny entry to the Iranian plane, which was headed towards Lebanon, in response to warnings from the Lebanese National News Agency.

This development follows the Israeli army’s breach of Beirut International Airport’s control tower frequencies on Saturday morning. They threatened to target a civilian Iranian aircraft if it attempted to land, as reported by sources from Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Works and Transportation to the “Anadolu Agency.”

The same sources added that Minister Ali Hamieh instructed the Iranian plane to avoid landing in Beirut and to stay clear of Lebanese airspace.

Earlier, Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hagari warned that the military “will not allow the transfer of weapons to Hezbollah,” including “through Beirut International Airport.”

He said, “We will not allow the transfer of weapons to Hezbollah in any form. We are aware of the Iranian weapons transfer to Hezbollah and will work to thwart it,” as he claimed.

Hagari further added, “We announce that we will not allow hostile planes carrying weapons to land at Beirut’s civilian airport. This is a civilian airport for civilian use and must remain as such.”

In response, Minister Hamieh, in televised statements on Saturday, denied the Israeli claims regarding the use of Beirut International Airport for the delivery of weapons to Hezbollah. He emphasized that the Beirut airport is “exclusively civilian,” and added that “any military aircraft movement at Beirut airport requires the sole approval of the Lebanese army.”

Since September 23, the Israeli army has been carrying out its “most intense and widespread” attack on Lebanon since the start of its confrontations with Hezbollah nearly a year ago. As of Friday morning, the attacks have resulted in 726 martyrs, including children and women, and 2,173 injuries.

As of Friday evening, the number of registered displaced persons at shelter centers approved by Lebanon’s National Operations Room reached 86,600, while the number of shelter centers reached 644, including public schools, educational complexes, vocational institutes, agricultural centers, and more, spread across different provinces, according to the Lebanese government’s Disaster Risk Management Unit.