Beirut–Rafic Hariri’s eastern runway juts into the Dahiyeh suburbs, a Hezbollah stronghold that Israel has targeted almost every day since March 2, when a salvo of rockets fired by the militants sparked a new Israeli offensive into Lebanon. Some Israeli strikes have fallen less than a mile from the perimeter fence.
“It’s very challenging, it’s very uncertain, but we took a decision to keep our airspace open since day one of the war,” Rasamny said in an interview in his Beirut office. “We’re monitoring every day, every hour the situation at the airport.”
He said Flight ME230 was eventually able to land safely after Israeli fighter jets peeled away following the emergency broadcast. “You need the air traffic controllers to have the courage to manage this. And you need the pilot to have the courage to manage all of this. And they were in sync,” he added.
The airport is a
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