Latest news with #RaficHaririInternationalAirport
LBCI
3 days ago
- Politics
- LBCI
US envoy Tom Barrack arrives in Beirut for high-level talks
U.S. envoy Tom Barrack arrived at Beirut's Rafic Hariri International Airport on Sunday, marking the start of a visit expected to focus on recent developments.
Ya Libnan
07-07-2025
- Politics
- Ya Libnan
US EMBASSY IN BEIRUT URGES ITS CITIZENS NOT TO TRAVEL TO LEBANON
The US embassy in Beirut issued the following travel advisory update for Lebanon Updated to reflect the lifting of ordered departure of family members and non-emergency U.S. government personnel. Do Not Travel to Lebanon due to crime, terrorism, civil unrest, kidnapping, unexploded landmines, and the risk of armed conflict. Some areas, especially near the borders, have increased risk. Read the entire Travel Advisory. U.S. Embassy Beirut personnel are restricted from personal travel without advance permission. Additional travel restrictions may be imposed on U.S. personnel under Chief of Mission security responsibility, with little to no notice due to increased security issues or threats. Commercial flights are available, but at reduced capacity. Please check flight options at Beirut–Rafic Hariri International Airport. Country Summary: U.S. citizens in Lebanon should be aware that consular officers from the U.S. Embassy are not always able to travel to assist them. The Department of State considers the threat to U.S. government personnel in Beirut serious enough to require them to live and work under strict security. The internal security policies of the U.S. Embassy may be adjusted at any time and without advance notice. Since October 8, 2023, cross-border exchanges of fire have occurred between Hizballah and Israel. In some instances, targets have been well north of the border region. A cessation of hostilities between Israel and Lebanon went into effect on November 27, and implementation is ongoing; however, there are continued instances of military activity in some areas of Lebanon. The Lebanese government cannot guarantee the safety of U.S. citizens against sudden outbreaks of violence and armed conflict. Family, neighborhood, or sectarian disputes can escalate quickly and can lead to gunfire or other violence with no warning. Terrorist groups continue plotting possible attacks in Lebanon. Terrorists may conduct attacks with little or no warning targeting tourist locations, transportation hubs, markets/shopping malls, and local government facilities. Local security authorities have noted a rise in violent crimes, including political violence. Multiple unsolved killings in Lebanon may have been politically motivated. Kidnapping, whether for ransom, political motives, or family disputes, has occurred in Lebanon. Suspects in kidnappings may have ties to terrorist or criminal organizations. Unexploded landmines and explosive remnants of war are a hazard along the border with Syria. Heed land mine warning signs. Do not venture off the road into areas marked off with red and white plastic tape. Avoid roadside ditches, shoulders, and unmarked trails. Never touch anything resembling unexploded munitions. U.S. citizens should avoid demonstrations and exercise caution if in the vicinity of any large gatherings or protests as these have the potential to turn violent quickly and with little notice. Protesters have blocked major roads, including thoroughfares between downtown Beirut and the area where the U.S. Embassy is located, and between Beirut and Beirut-Rafic Hariri International Airport. If you decide to travel to Lebanon: Southern Lebanon – Level 4: Do Not Travel, Depart If You Are There (See map below) The U.S. Embassy strongly urges U.S. citizens to avoid southern Lebanon and to depart if you are there; that is, all parts south of the city of Saida, to include inland areas, as illustrated in the map below. There have continued to be instances of military activity in South Lebanon and near the Syrian border since the cessation of hostilities went into effect. Border with Syria – Level 4: Do Not Travel, Depart If You Are There The U.S. Embassy strongly urges U.S. citizens to avoid the Lebanon-Syria border and to depart if you are there. This area has seen clashes between Lebanese security forces and Syrian-based groups, as well as recent airstrikes. The U.S. Department of State also warns U.S. citizens of the risk of traveling on flights that fly over Syria, which include some flights to and from Beirut. Refugee Settlements – Level 4: Do Not Travel, Depart If You Are There The U.S. Embassy urges U.S. citizens to avoid travel to refugee settlements in Lebanon and depart if you are there. These settlements are prone to outbreaks of violence including shootings and explosions. Visit our website for Travel to High-Risk Areas .
The National
04-07-2025
- Politics
- The National
Introducing my son to Lebanon helped me heal my relationship with home
As the wheels touch down on the tarmac at Beirut's Rafic Hariri International Airport, my wife and I turn to our 20-month-old son, Dia, kiss his soft head and whisper: 'Welcome home.' Then we both cry. It's his first time in Lebanon – a trip long delayed by an interminable war. Like many Lebanese born in the diaspora, my relationship to the country has always been complicated. Raised abroad, I absorbed it through Sunday meals at Lebanese restaurants in London, family stories and summer visits. As a teenager and young adult, I would go on to live there for 10 years, turning it into a site of belonging and often heartbreak. For the past five years, I've been estranged from it. I had seen a lot during my years in Lebanon, but nothing broke me like the August 4 Beirut port explosion. I felt I lost too much that day. I almost lost my father, who was in a building by the port. We couldn't locate him for hours. I lost far less important things – our company's brand-new office, my car, work projects. After that trip, I left broken. Something had snapped in my already tense relationship with a country that was often exhausting to live in, however much I loved it. Since then, I've only returned for work, family emergencies or deaths. My relationship with Lebanon calcified into something unpleasant. But something shifted on this trip. I came back as a different person. I came back as a father. Lebanon today feels hopeful but precarious – a country both limping out of war and still staggering from the collapse of 2019. The streets are tired. Shoots of wild grass protrude from the pavements and highways. I have become obsessed with these unkempt public roads. They remind me of the way Lebanon looked at the end of the civil war. The country has the air of an aristocratic home fallen into disrepair – once proud, now crumbling, its residents unable to afford its upkeep. But still full of life and stories. But none of that matters when I see my son here. To see how he belongs to this place. He's surrounded by doting grandparents. Even the neighbours beam when they see him. He devours zaatar and stuffed vine leaves. He's wide-eyed with curiosity. As Lebanese, our link to the motherland can often be tied to the kind of nostalgia these scenes can evoke. Nostalgia is a powerful, sometimes dangerous thing. It led many in our diaspora to invest life savings in Lebanon out of duty or hope, only to watch them vanish in the banking collapse. I used to be so weary of that dangerous form of nostalgia that led people to be irrational. But I find myself understanding it this time. For me, returning to Lebanon has always carried a hint of regression. Like anyone revisiting their parents' home, you slip back into old habits, old roles. You unlearn everything that's happened in the intervening years. But this time is different. There's no regression – only transformation. I'm here not as a son, but as a father. I'm not trying to make sense of my place, I'm building a bridge for my son between his heritage and his future. In a recent therapy session, while speaking about my connection to the Mediterranean, I had a surprising realisation: it wasn't the sea I was so anchored to. It was the mountain. I wanted to see if Dia had the same connection. On a visit to Jaj – a village 1,200 metres above the historic coastal town of Byblos – my wife's aunt left some cherries unpicked in the garden just for Dia. He picked them himself, dropping them into a plastic tub with glee. Nour noticed the cherries at the top had been pecked at. 'The top of the tree is for the birds,' her aunt said. 'The bottom is for us.' One simple sentence. Centuries of understanding how to live with the land, not just on it. And now, my son is learning that wisdom. And through him, so am I. Back in Beirut, we realise the city is not exactly toddler-friendly. Pavements are often a suggestion. When they do exist, they're broken, cluttered, blocked by scooters and cars. Electrical cables dangle from poles. It's whatever the opposite of baby-proof is. One afternoon, Nour suggests we might find more space to roam by taking Dia to my alma mater – the American University of Beirut. I haven't set foot there in years. I don't often reminisce about my time there, or much else. But walking through the main gate feels like a reckoning. I tell the security guard I remember my student number – a strange fact to recall from 2001. He pulls up my record, and there it is: my old ID photo. I barely recognise the boy in the image – fresh-faced and naive. Closer in age to Dia than to me now. I'm carrying my son and pointing at the ID photo on the screen, wondering if he'll recognise me. He smiles. Maybe he does. Maybe he's just happy to be here too. As he runs around the grounds of the 19th-century campus, I remember something Nour told me recently – about mycelium networks that connect trees underground, allowing forests to share resources and nutrients. That's how I feel, watching my son plant his feet on this soil. He's connected to people he's never met, to land he's never seen. And in watching him, I realise I'm part of that network too, in a way I haven't felt in years.
See - Sada Elbalad
04-07-2025
- Politics
- See - Sada Elbalad
Explosion Near Beirut Airport as Israeli Strike Targets Vehicle
Ahmed Emam A suspected Israeli airstrike targeted a vehicle near Rafic Hariri International Airport on the Khaldeh highway, a strategic route linking Beirut with Lebanon's southern provinces and suburbs. The vehicle was traveling southbound when an initial missile narrowly missed it, instead causing severe damage to several nearby cars. The targeted car then pulled over, after which additional missiles were fired, resulting in the near-total destruction of its cabin. The strike occurred just outside the southern perimeter of the airport, raising immediate security concerns due to the location's proximity to central Beirut. However, air traffic at Rafic Hariri International Airport reportedly remained unaffected. This is the first known incident of its kind so close to the heart of the Lebanese capital, increasing tensions and triggering widespread alarm among residents and officials alike. No official statements have yet been issued by the Lebanese authorities or the Israeli military regarding the incident. read more Gold prices rise, 21 Karat at EGP 3685 NATO's Role in Israeli-Palestinian Conflict US Expresses 'Strong Opposition' to New Turkish Military Operation in Syria Shoukry Meets Director-General of FAO Lavrov: confrontation bet. nuclear powers must be avoided News Iran Summons French Ambassador over Foreign Minister Remarks News Aboul Gheit Condemns Israeli Escalation in West Bank News Greek PM: Athens Plays Key Role in Improving Energy Security in Region News One Person Injured in Explosion at Ukrainian Embassy in Madrid News Israeli-Linked Hadassah Clinic in Moscow Treats Wounded Iranian IRGC Fighters News China Launches Largest Ever Aircraft Carrier Sports Former Al Zamalek Player Ibrahim Shika Passes away after Long Battle with Cancer Videos & Features Tragedy Overshadows MC Alger Championship Celebration: One Fan Dead, 11 Injured After Stadium Fall Lifestyle Get to Know 2025 Eid Al Adha Prayer Times in Egypt Business Fear & Greed Index Plummets to Lowest Level Ever Recorded amid Global Trade War News Flights suspended at Port Sudan Airport after Drone Attacks News "Tensions Escalate: Iran Probes Allegations of Indian Tech Collaboration with Israeli Intelligence" Videos & Features Video: Trending Lifestyle TikToker Valeria Márquez Shot Dead during Live Stream News Shell Unveils Cost-Cutting, LNG Growth Plan
MTV Lebanon
28-06-2025
- MTV Lebanon
28 Jun 2025 13:38 PM Photos: Rehabilitation and maintenance work begins on main airport road
The Ministry of Public Works and Transport has begun rehabilitation and maintenance work on the main road leading to Rafic Hariri International Airport, starting from the Shatila roundabout and extending to the airport premises, as part of the "Lebanon on Track" plan aimed at upgrading vital road networks across various regions. The work has officially started on the ground with asphalt paving on both lanes, in both directions, as part of an integrated plan to improve the infrastructure of this critical route, which serves as a key artery for transportation to and from the capital. The ministry calls on citizens to be patient and understanding of any temporary disruption that may result from the ongoing work, emphasizing that this step is meant to facilitate mobility and enhance public road safety.
