Beirut airport closed-all runways destroyed by IDF...

[beaucaire]

This morning IDF hit Beirut airport with rockets and disabled all three runways.No flights can be operated.Allplanes remain grounded.Only way to leave Lebanon is via Cyprus or Damascus.
I hope this situation will become normal and a de-escalation will be initiated soon.Many civil casualties in southern Lebanon.All this for two israeli solders being prisoned....

[SN30952]

All this for two israeli solders being prisoned....

Do not believe that... imho isn't that the worst terrorist act on a civilian airport for ages...
TLV airport isn't that also used for suspect cargoes?
This is the second civilian airport - the runways this time - distroyed by the same airforce.

Back to civilian aviation, now
BEY is not a military airport. It is a civilian airport.
ICAO will have to state on the incident. But ICAO cannot impose penalties.


Beirut Real Time Flight Schedule

Israël a lancé une offensive sans précédent contre le Hezbollah chiite libanais : l'aéroport international de Beyrouth a été pris pour cible dans la nuit de mercredi à jeudi entraînant sa fermeture.

In retaliation the Hesbollah's army of God, shelled the airport of Kiriat Chmonah, Rochbina, "in the North of occupied Palestine".

Officials close Beirut international airport after Israeli jets attack runways
All three of the airport's runways were rendered unusable.

Israeli: 'You're paying the price'; Palestinian: 'Leave us alone'

"Israël kondigt tot nader order een blokkade te land, ter zee en in de lucht af op Libanon"
Israel blocks Lebanon's landside, seaside and airside, writes "Het Laatste Nieuws", Belgium's biggest newspaper.

[LN-KGL]

And now is also the Beirut Airport website down - IDF seems to also have cut a number of communication lines.

I would suggest renaming IDF to IOF - Defence -> Offence - since they no longer defend their own country, but rather offend neighbouring countries.

[b720]

indeed IOF ... news from beirut that damage to the three runways can be fixed in 48 hours...

[teddybAIR]

...and they can be put out of business again in less than 2 minutes

[b720]

unfortunately that is very true.

[sn-remember]

Shocking indeed
Who can make that irresponsible violence on a fragile country like Lebanon stop ? This country needs our active support after so many years of suffering due to civil war.
Maybe some UN forces could intervene ?
And who will pay for repairing the damages , not mentioning the human casualties that no money can ever repay ???
Sorry to say it bluntly, this is no civilized way to recover the 2 prisoners.

[sn26567]

Such a situation is never simple. Israel can argue that Hezbollah started the war by kidnapping two Israeli soldiers, and that Lebanon is responsible for not controlling chiite milicia operating from inside its borders. Nevetheless, the Israeli response is disproprortionate, as many EU countries have already stated.

Let's hope that good common sense will prevail and prevent another escalation of the conflict.

May I remind all readers to refrain from expressing political opinions in this forum.

[PNC]

indeed very sad for all the lebanese traveler, specialy in this time of the year, many lebanese are leaving out of the country.
the israeli reaction is not only for the 2 soldiers, but also because the rockets coming evry day from Lebanon.....

[b720]

I hope that air travel will resume very soon to BEY.

[LN-KGL]

Since it hasn't been mentioned here before - four stranded MEA aircraft (3x A321 and 1x A332) at BEY took off from the longest unbombed taxiway early yesterday heading LCA. As a retribution to this IOF bombed the fuel storage at BEY later in the evening.

I wonder what the reaction from France had been if some of these aircraft had been lost due to the IOF bombing - all MEA aircraft are in the French registry.

[b720]

the jets in question departed at 10:39 am local time today using longest runway after repairs were done..planes flew to amman jordan. 22 minutes later israeli jets bombed the repaired runway again..but there are no jets remaining at BEY.. I hope that the terminal will remain untouched

[b720]

correction: 11:14 raid on repaired runway.. 35 minutes after MEA jets evacauted without pax

[teddybAIR]

...and they can be put out of business again in less than 2 minutes

When I said this, I did not think they would actually do it. What is the point anyway? Why are they targetting this airport?

[b720]

pressure the lebanese government into reigning in hizbulla. BEY is 100% civilian as the lebanese air force posses helicopters only, no fighter jets.. BEY is the only air link in the country

[TWA]

This is such a sad situation, looking at a destroyed BEY Rafic Hariri Airport: one of my favourite airports settled in a very nice scenenry in between the sea and the hills of the city... and with very nice equipment arriving here: AF A332 and B773 and other heavy aircaft from etihad, royal jordanian, saudi, emirates, malaysian.

There were also rumours that the new Belgian airline would restart a service to BEY next year.

Hope this outbreak of violence will not last for long.

[b720]

true.. KLM LH AZ BA THY olympic and many more from europe plus ET EK GF oman airways MS and many more from middle east... I lived for five years in an apart. overlooking the whole airport..spent hours plane spotting from my balcony..before the jetways were installed i could even see pax embark and disembark..I saw some of MEA 707 blow up in 1987..sad history for that airport..but a very beautiful one indeed..

[b720]

confirmed report: terminal building hit! (extent of damage not yet known)

[David747]

It is sad that the airport was attacked. Civilian infrastructure should be out of bounds.

[b720]

very depressing...death of a country...what a shame no one does anything, we only watch...