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Lebanon Purges Hizbullah Staff from Beirut Airport to Crack Down on Smuggling
(Wall Street Journal) Omar Abdel-Baqui - Lebanon's only commercial airport sits in an area of southern Beirut largely controlled by Hizbullah, which has for years used it as a smuggling channel. Now the country's new government, with U.S. support, is trying to take it back. Dozens of airport staffers suspected of being affiliated with Hizbullah have been removed, according to senior Lebanese security officials. Smugglers have been arrested and existing laws are now being enforced, Lebanon's new prime minister Nawaf Salam said. Flights from Iran have been suspended since February. The overhaul is part of a broader effort to limit Hizbullah's influence and revenue flows. Lebanese security recently foiled an attempt to smuggle more than 50 pounds of gold to Hizbullah through the airport.