Lebanon launched work on Saturday to rehabilitate its second international airport, located in the north of the country, near the Syrian border, after years of postponement.
The country currently has only one airport, that of Beirut, on the edge of the southern suburbs of the capital, stronghold of Hezbollah, a powerful pro-Iranian Shiite movement. This densely populated neighborhood has been regularly bombed by the Israeli army, particularly in March near the airport.
The new airport, located in Qlaat, in the Akkar governorate, in the far north of Lebanon and close to the Syrian border, is also near Tripoli, a large predominantly Sunni city in the north of the country. Until now, it was used for military purposes by the Lebanese army.
Transport Minister Frieze Rasamny attended the opening of the airport for commercial purposes on Saturday, “after more than fifty years of promises, deadlines and waiting”.
“Today we are moving from promise to realization”affirmed the Lebanese minister, specifying that the airport should begin to be operational “in a few weeks” to serve Mersin and Istanbul in Türkiye but also Dubai.
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