Warning Beamed To Iran's Lebanese Proxy Leader In Beirut Airport Hack

The information screens at Beirut's main airport were targeted on Sunday in a hack that delivered a message directed at Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.

The message, which also circulated on social media, warned Nasrallah against involving Lebanon in the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza. It stated, "In the name of God and the people, Beirut International Airport is not the airport of Hezbollah and Iran.

"To Hassan Nasrallah, you will not find supporters if you afflict Lebanon with war, and you will bear responsibility for it and its consequences. To Hezbollah, we will not fight a war on behalf of anyone else. You destroyed our port and now you want to destroy our airport by allowing weapons in. Let the airport be freed from international control."

Responsibility for the hack was claimed by a group opposing Hezbollah. An anonymous airport employee revealed that those involved in the internal breach, named as George Matta and two others, have been apprehended by security services.

The hack, executed through the Rafic Hariri International Airport’s intranet, impacted screens at check-in desks, arrivals and departures areas, as well as shopping area monitors. Normal functionality has since been reportedly restored to the screens.

It followed the warning of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah who spoke of repercussions for northern Israel if the Gaza war extended to the Israeli-Lebanese border. Iran-backed Lebanese proxy Hezbollah has been escalating its attacks on northern Israel while Israel's defence minister said this weekend that the country seeks a political solution.

Additionally, Nasrallah pledged revenge for the killing of deputy Hamas chief Saleh Al-Arouri in an Israeli airstrike on January 2 in Beirut, the first such killing abroad since the war broke out on October 7.