Who is to blame for Beirut’s airport security gap?
The Lebanese government rift and lack of a clear and effective policy for dealing with security gaps at the Rafik Hariri International Airport in Beirut may lead international and Arab airlines to suspend their flights to Lebanon.
With the trash crisis still pending, having tainted Lebanon’s image around the world and exposed its government’s division and incompetence when it comes to performing a basic duty like waste collection, another crisis looms on the horizon: Lebanon’s airport security and its compliance with international safety standards are now called into question.
This time, too, the government has failed yet again to perform one of its essential duties: preserving security and protecting a vital economic facility at a critical time when terrorism is striking in many world capitals and airports, with the latest incident at Brussels airport on March 22.
Lebanon has already been the stage of terrorist attacks, the latest of which was the twin explosions that shook the Burj el-Barajneh neighborhood in Beirut’s southern suburb on Nov. 12, 2015, only two days prior to the Paris attacks.
Airport security returned to the forefront with Lebanese Interior Minister Nouhad al-Machnouq’s official three-day visit to London on March 20, which aimed to enhance bilateral ties between Lebanon and the United Kingdom and explore opportunities for cooperation on security and counterterrorism. During his visit, Machnouq met with several British officials who voiced their concerns over Beirut airport security.
