Is Western media paving way for Israeli attack on Beirut amid tensions in Gaza?

Lebanon has announced its intention to take legal action against the British publication The Telegraph following its controversial report alleging Hezbollah’s storage of weapons at Beirut’s Rafic Hariri International Airport.

According to the Telegraph, citing airport informants, Hezbollah was storing large quantities of Iranian weapons, missiles and explosives at the airport.

Lebanon’s Minister of Public Works and Transport Ali Hamieh condemned the British publication’s article during a press conference, accusing it of attempting to damage the airport’s reputation without credible sources.

He asserted Lebanon’s plan to file a lawsuit against the newspaper, emphasizing its aim to protect the airport’s image from what he termed as baseless allegations.

Meanwhile, the Türkiye Today team reached out to Lebanon expert Associate Professor Dr. Yasin Atlioglu for his insights on the issue. Atlioglu stated that the airport in Beirut is not a suitable facility for such shipments and underlined that this development could be a cover for an Israeli attack on Lebanon.

Atlioglu emphasized that this incident could be not less than propaganda, adding that the Telegraph’s news was widely covered in the Israeli media and that “Israel is trying to legitimize a future attack with this step.”

Moreover, it is known that this airport is not being used effectively by Hezbollah and instead other areas are being used. It is known that Hezbollah’s effective influence here is not very strong. It is also known that Lebanon has a lot of power divisions because of its sectarian divisions and therefore Hezbollah does not dominate the power here alone.

This development comes amid heightened tensions along Lebanon’s border with Israel, marked by clashes between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, against the backdrop of ongoing Israeli military actions in Gaza.