Airport whistleblowers have alleged that Hezbollah is storing large quantities of Iranian weapons, missiles, and explosives at Beirut's main civilian airport, according to the Telegraph.

Among the weapons allegedly stored at Rafic Hariri International Airport are Iranian-made Falaq artillery rockets, Fateh-110 and M-600 short-range missiles, and road-mobile ballistic missiles with ranges exceeding 150 miles. The whistleblowers also claim the presence of AT-14 Kornet anti-tank guided missiles, Burkan short-range ballistic missiles, and RDX explosives.

An airport worker expressed fears about the potential consequences of an attack or explosion at the airport, drawing comparisons to the devastating 2020 Beirut port blast. "Beirut will be cut off from the world, not to mention the number of casualties and damage," the worker warned. "It's just a matter of time before a disaster also happens at the airport," he told the Telegraph.

While accusations of Hezbollah using the civilian airport for weapon storage have surfaced before, the whistleblowers claim the activity has intensified since October. In November, "unusually big boxes" arrived on a direct flight from Iran. "This doesn't happen often, but it did happen exactly when everyone in Lebanon was talking about the possibility of war," the first worker added.

Another whistleblower claimed: "For years I have been watching Hezbollah operating at Beirut airport, but when they do it during a war, it turns the airport into a target. Another airport employee noted, "If they keep bringing in these goods I'm not allowed to check, I really believe I'll die from the explosion or I'll die from Israel bombing the goods."

The whistleblowers also allege that Wafiq Safa, Hezbollah's second-in-command and head of its security apparatus, is frequently present at the airport customs area. Workers collaborating with Hezbollah "walk around like peacocks" with new watches and smartphones, and drive new cars. "A lot of money is being passed under the table," he explained.

Ghassan Hasbani, former deputy prime minister and a member of parliament for the Lebanese Forces party, expressed longstanding concerns about Hezbollah's control of the airport. He emphasized the difficulty in addressing the issue, stating, "The last time the government tried to take action in 2008, there was a violent reaction by Hezbollah."

Hasbani called for action to assess risks at the airport, fearing a repeat of the 2020 port disaster. However, he acknowledged the challenges, noting, "It's very difficult to know who can take action. The entrenchment of Hezbollah is everywhere, not only

in the airport but in the port, the judiciary, it's across society. The public administration now is largely hijacked by Hezbollah and it's very difficult to remove that without changing the militia-backed power game that exists today." He emphasized the need for international intervention to implement relevant UN resolutions.

Hezbollah's strategy to hide weapons and operate from civilian neighborhoods stems from its intentions to draw the IDF to target these civilian areas in times of escalation.

These revelations come amid ongoing tensions in the region, with Israel having previously carried out strikes on airports in Syria to disrupt Iranian weapons transfers to its proxies, including Hezbollah.

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Lebanon's political and economic crisis continues after head of the country's Future Movement Party, Saad al-Hariri, announced Thursday that he was abandoning his efforts to form a new government.

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Hariri made the announcement after a brief meeting with Lebanese President Michel Aoun, to whom he presented a possible new cabinet.

Hariri said Aoun had demanded fundamental changes to Hariri's proposed cabinet, underscoring the political squabbling that has blocked the formation of a cabinet even as Lebanon sinks deeper into crisis.

"It is clear we will not be able to agree with his Excellency the President," Hariri said after meeting Aoun for barely 20 minutes. "That is why I excuse myself from government formation and God help the country."

Hariri, a former prime minister and Lebanon's leading Sunni Muslim politician, was designated in October to assemble a government following the resignation of Prime Minister Hassan Diab's cabinet in the wake of the Beirut port explosion.

The secretary general of the Arab League, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, said the ramifications of the step would be serious.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Hariri's decision was "disappointing" and urged Lebanese leaders to put aside their differences and form a government.

The World Bank has described Lebanon's depression as one of the sharpest in modern history. The currency has lost more than 90% of its value in two years; poverty has spread and there have been crippling fuel shortages, prompting growing fears of social unrest.

Hariri's decision marks the culmination of months of conflict over cabinet posts between him and Aoun, the Maronite Christian head of state who is allied with Hezbollah.

Hariri and Aoun blamed each other.

"You can't ask me to do everything I can and there is another who doesn't want to sacrifice anything," Hariri said to local television station Al Jadeed in an interview hours after his decision, saying that Aoun had insisted on a blocking minority in any cabinet and that was a main stumbling bloc.

In a statement, the presidency said Hariri had refused to discuss any changes and proposed to Aoun that he take an extra day to accept the proposed line-up. "What is the use of one extra day if the door of discussion is closed?" Aoun told him.

The presidency said Aoun would call for consultations with MPs to designate a new prime minister as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, the economic freefall is Lebanon's worst crisis since the 1975-90 civil war.

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Mohanad Hage Ali, a fellow at the Carnegie Middle East Center, said the security situation was approaching a breaking point. "This is a country with a history of violence, and I see this crisis on auto-pilot without anyone in charge," he said.

Western governments have been piling pressure on Lebanese politicians to form a government that can set about reforming the corrupt state, threatening sanctions and saying financial support will not flow before reforms begin.

But barring a dramatic shift in the political landscape, politicians and analysts say it now seems very difficult for a government to be formed before parliamentary elections next year.

The post 'May God help the country'; Lebanese PM-designate abandons attempt to form government appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.