Hezbollah is threatening to shut down Beirut’s Rafic Hariri International Airport if Iranian aircraft continue to be barred from landing in Lebanon, escalating tensions with the Lebanese government as President Joseph Aoun met Tuesday with President Trump.

A senior Hezbollah official told the group’s Al-Manar television network that if the ban remains in place, the organization will take what it described as “peaceful measures,” declaring that “no plane will be allowed to land in Beirut, and no ambassador will remain in Lebanon.”

The threat comes amid an ongoing dispute over Lebanon’s restrictions on Iranian flights, which Hezbollah has repeatedly condemned. The terror group has also opposed Lebanon’s negotiations with Israel and broader efforts by Beirut to reduce Iranian influence in the country.

Lebanese government sources told Saudi media that no policy changes are planned and that authorities will continue enforcing measures adopted for national security and sovereignty. Officials have also reinstated visa requirements for Iranian citizens following reports that members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps had entered Lebanon.

The ban on Iranian flights dates back nearly two years, when Israeli officials warned Lebanon that Iranian aircraft would not be allowed to reach Beirut, even if it meant disrupting operations at the country’s international airport.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)