Lebanon faces rising airspace risks amid conflict escalation
Airlines start taking countermeasures
Tensions between Israel and Lebanon-based Hezbollah have escalated significantly, leading to increased risks for commercial aircraft operating in Lebanese airspace.
Recent developments have prompted several global airlines to suspend flights to Beirut’s Rafic Hariri International Airport (OLBB). Canada has issued a new notice advising airlines to avoid Lebanese airspace entirely.
The risk of overflights in the OLBB/Beirut Flight Information Region (FIR) has heightened following a marked increase in hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah.
On July 27, a Hezbollah rocket attack targeted Israeli positions in the Golan Heights, resulting in casualties. In retaliation, Israel conducted airstrikes deep within Lebanese territory. This has led to growing concerns about a potential full-scale conflict between the two sides.
In response to the escalating situation, the US Embassy in Beirut has alerted American citizens to the possibility of sudden changes or cancellations in flights to and from Beirut. The embassy advises those in Lebanon to develop a crisis plan if the situation worsens.
The conflict’s background includes a recent surge in cross-border skirmishes, intensified by the ongoing war in Gaza. The fighting, which has seen sporadic hostilities daily, involved artillery, rocket attacks, and air defence activations. As of late June, reports indicated over 7,400 cross-border incidents between Israel and Hezbollah in the past nine months.
In the airspace, Hezbollah’s recent claims of targeting Israeli fighter jets with surface-to-air missiles have raised concerns. While current airspace warnings for the OLBB/Beirut FIR do not specify altitude restrictions, there is credible speculation that Hezbollah may have access to advanced surface-to-air missile systems, including mobile Iranian-made radar-guided SAMs capable of targeting aircraft at high altitudes.
Civil aviation safety in the OLBB/Beirut FIR could be compromised if the conflict escalates further. The situation is being monitored closely, with existing airspace warnings from Canada, the US, and the UK advising caution due to military activities and potential risks from surface-to-air missiles and GPS interference.
Featured image: Beirut’s Rafic Hariri International Airport on the Mediterranean coast is pictured from the International Space Station. Credit: NASA
