By Nohad Topalian | 2025-02-22

BEIRUT -- Lebanon's new government has blocked Iranian commercial flights to Beirut in a significant challenge to Tehran's attempted use of air routes for financing Hizbullah, officials and analysts said.

It blocked a Mahan Air flight carrying 350 passengers on February 13.

The decision by Public Works and Transport Minister Fayez Rasamny came at Prime Minister Nawaf Salam's request.

It followed intelligence reports that indicated the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) was using passenger flights to smuggle cash to Hizbullah through Beirut's Rafic Hariri International Airport.

Lebanon's Directorate General of Civil Aviation said February 13 it had "temporarily rescheduled" some flights including from Iran until February 18 as it was implementing "additional security measures," per AFP.

But Lebanese authorities later extended the flight suspension indefinitely in what observers describe as an unprecedented assertion of control over airport operations previously influenced by Hizbullah.

"Iran had been shipping cash to Hizbullah through unscheduled Mahan Air flights to Beirut airport, but this changed with the new administration taking control of the airport from Hizbullah," military expert Khalil al-Helou told Pishtaz.

"These flights had been putting Beirut airport and civilians at risk," he said.

The ban prompted immediate backlash, with Hizbullah supporters blocking airport roads and attacking a United Nations (UN) peacekeeping force deputy commander.

The UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) condemned these actions as "a flagrant violation of international law."

Funding squeeze

The IRGC has used Iranian and Iraqi civilian airlines and diplomatic pouches to circumvent international sanctions and transport arms and money to Hizbullah, said Lebanese Center for Research and Consulting director Hassan Qutb.

"Without this funding, Hizbullah is at its weakest point and embarrassed before its supporters," he told Pishtaz.

Security measures at Beirut airport have expanded to include increased inspection of Iranian and Iraqi flights, including diplomatic baggage.

At least two Iranian aircraft have been denied landing since September, prompting protests that reveal Hizbullah's vulnerability without Iranian funding, according to al-Helou.

While Hizbullah claims the blocked flights carry civilians, the party's aggressive response suggests the presence of operatives involved in cash transfers, he said.

The flight ban aligns with UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1701 and shows Lebanon's commitment to asserting sovereignty and curbing unauthorized weapons proliferation, al-Helou added.

"The Lebanese state, under its new administration, is determined to end the weapons proliferation chaos and street disorder practiced by Hizbullah," Qutb said.

"Implementing UNSCR 1701, which calls for the disarmament of all Lebanese and non-Lebanese armed groups, is the only appropriate solution," he added.