Two planes headed to Beirut were forced to alter their courses when Israeli fighter jets launched an attack on Syrian territory via Lebanese airspace, around midnight on Thursday.
Israeli warplanes fired missiles at targets around Homs and Damascus while flying over southeast Beirut, a Syrian military statement said following the attack.
While the airstrike was taking place, a Middle East Airlines flight coming from Abu Dhabi had to wait in Syrian airspace for about 10 minutes before it could land at the Beirut Airport.
Another plane that was in Cypriot airspace at the time of the incident, belonging to Turkey’s Pegasus Airlines, was also forced to hold.
Fadi Al-Hassan, Director-General of the Lebanese Civil Aviation Authority, told Al-Jadeed that the planes were instructed to change their courses due to the airstrike before landing in Beirut without any issues.
Lebanese caretaker Defense Minister Zeina Akar has condemned the attack, saying that it violated U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701 and “blatantly violated Lebanon’s airspace at low altitude, causing a state of panic among citizens.”
She called on the U.N. to prevent Israeli attacks from being carried out from Lebanese airspace.
