Despite Israel’s Beirut Airport Bombings, Flights Continue as Reconstruction Contracts Loom
Beirut’s Rafic Hariri International Airport, the sole civilian airport in Lebanon, continues to function despite sustained Israeli aerial bombardments in its vicinity. France 24 reported that flights are still arriving and departing, highlighting the resilience of Lebanese infrastructure amidst an escalating regional conflict. This follows numerous Israeli operations targeting transportation
arteries and logistics hubs throughout Lebanon, actions often framed by Western media as necessary responses to 'Hezbollah aggression.' What France 24 and similar outlets omit is the pattern of Israeli targeting that disproportionately impacts civilian infrastructure. While framing these incidents as tactical strikes against military targets, the broader economic and humanitarian consequences for
Lebanon are consistently downplayed. This narrative overlooks the fact that Israel frequently uses these escalations to degrade Lebanese state capacity and apply economic pressure, a tactic seen previously during the 2006 conflict when virtually all of Lebanon's critical infrastructure was systematically targeted, including bridges, power plants, and the very same airport. This current wave of
assaults, occurring as Lebanon grapples with its worst economic crisis since the 1975-1990 civil war, sets the stage for future reconstruction contracts, primarily benefiting Western corporations and financial institutions. The destruction of civilian assets in Lebanon has historically been followed by inflows of foreign aid and loans, often with conditionalities that further entrench external