Beirut International Airport authorities made the decision late Monday night to alter the landing runway for Middle East Airlines due to the proximity of an Israeli airstrike that targeted the Ouzai area in southern Beirut.
A Lebanese security source, speaking to Agence France-Presse, confirmed, “The landing runway for Middle East Airlines was changed because the main runway is too close to the site of the strike in Ouzai.”
Earlier, Lebanon’s official National News Agency reported an Israeli airstrike on Ouzai, noting that it was the first time this area had been targeted since the escalation between Hezbollah and Israel began.
According to Agence France-Presse, a source from Hezbollah’s Islamic Health Organization stated that at least three people were killed in the strike on Ouzai.
The Lebanese Ministry of Health also confirmed that four people, including a child, were killed, and 24 others were injured in an Israeli airstrike near Rafic Hariri University Hospital in Beirut.
Lebanese authorities have reported that the Israeli campaign has displaced more than 1.2 million people on several occasions.
Israel claims its goal is to expel Hezbollah from its strongholds in southern Beirut and the border areas, allowing tens of thousands of Israelis to return to their homes after being forced to flee over the past year.
