Israel Disrupts Iranian Arms Transfer To Hezbollah As Flight Makes U-Turn Over Iraq: Report

An Iranian Qeshm Fars Air flight from Tehran, reportedly headed for Lebanon or Syria, made a U-turn over Iraqi airspace earlier on Saturday, according to flight tracking data.

The flight was alleged to be carrying weapons to Hezbollah, prompting the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to issue warnings for it to turn back, The Times of Israel reported. The IDF said that its “military blockade” on Lebanon would continue, likely for an extended period.

‘Suspicious aerial target’

In a post on social media platform X, the Israeli Air Force said that it intercepted a suspicious aerial target that crossed into Israeli territory from Lebanon, following warnings about hostile aircraft operating in the Adami area.

Alerts for potential rocket and missile fire were activated due to concerns about falling fragments from the interceptors. According to the Air Force, alerts were triggered in the Gulf, Carmel, and Emekim regions. Two launches were detected that originated from Lebanon: one was successfully intercepted, while the other landed in an open area.

In a similar incident a week back, UK-based Telegraph newspaper reported that Israel had hacked Beirut International Airport’s control tower to warn an Iranian plane not to land. The IDF had said that they would shoot down planes ferrying Iranian weapons to support Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Air Blockade

As part of a blockade aimed at preventing the transfer of Iranian arms to Hezbollah, the IDF conducted strikes on several military crossings between Lebanon and Syria, including a tunnel, and also targeted a civilian crossing that Hezbollah had begun to use.

The IDF warned that it would disrupt any attempts by Iran to send weapons to Hezbollah via the civilian airport in Beirut. In recent days, the IDF has also struck several warehouses in Syria believed to be storing Iranian weapons intended for Hezbollah.

In a response to ongoing tensions, the Iran-backed group on Saturday announced that its Fadi-1 rockets were aimed at Israel’s Ramat David air base, located near the northern city of Haifa, some 45 kilometers from the Lebanese border. In a statement, the group also claimed that its fighters struck an Israeli tank in southern Lebanon, near the border, using a missile.

(With agency inputs)