INTERNACIONAL
Iran’s national airliner accused of flying weapons to Beirut airport for terror proxy Hezbollah: Report
An explosive report from the Iranian dissident group the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) alleges that the Islamic Republic of Iran’s domestic airline, Iran Air, is providing support to the U.S. designated terror organization Hezbollah.
Citing a former Hezbollah member, the MEK said that flights between Iran and Beirut Airport in Lebanon often transferred Hezbollah personnel to Iran for training courses and «smuggle[d] food [and] light and medium weapons» into Lebanon.
That transfer was alleged to have delivered advanced light weapons from Iran to Lebanon, particularly through runway 17, which it claims «exclusively» belongs to Hezbollah. In January 2021, a Hezbollah member alleged that shipments arriving at runway 17 included anti-aircraft missiles.
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An Iran Air plane parked at an airport terminal in Europe. (Photo by Vodjani/ullstein bild via Getty Images)
Jason Brodsky, policy director for United Against Nuclear Iran, told Fox News Digital that «Iran Air has a history of enabling procurement of Western products, particularly dual-use goods, for use by the [Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps] IRGC and Iran’s Defense Ministry, through Europe to Iran routes.» Brodsky explained that Iran Air gets away with these transfers by using «carry-on luggage in European airport stopovers which do not require another security check.» Brodsky said that «Iran purposely uses such civilian flights as a shield to avoid kinetic targeting by its adversaries.»
The MEK also stated that public information and intelligence obtained from inside the IRGC and Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS) shows that the MOIS «has systematically used Iran Air to move MOIS agents and their equipment for terrorist activities outside of Iran.» The MEK elaborated that Iran Air had transferred «shipments and packages necessary for activities of the MOIS in Europe to Austria» while «terrorist diplomat» Asadullah Assadi who was the MOIS station chief for Europe between 2015 and 2018.
Assadi was sentenced to 20 years in a Belgian prison for his plot to bomb a National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) gathering in 2018. He was released in exchange for a Belgian aid worker, a Danish citizen and two dual Austrian-Iranian citizens in May and June 2023, according to Yahoo News.
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According to a former Hezbollah member, runway 17, circled in red, of Beirut Airport is used exclusively by Hezbollah. Iran Air uses the runway to transport small and medium arms and basic supplies into Lebanon. (Courtesy of PMOI/MEK)
MEK sources also issued a reminder of Iran Air’s historic ties to terror. As MEK reported, «most» of the 12 terrorists sent to Geneva to participate in an operation to assassinate Professor Kazem Rejavi, a human rights defender and member of the NCRI, on April 24, 1990, «were transported by Iran Air,» as were their weapons. The MEK alleges that the return Iran Air flight after the assassination had a «delayed departure from Geneva…so the terrorists could make the flight.» The Washington Post’s reporting from 1990 corroborates this claim.
The Treasury and State Departments sanctioned Iran Air on Sept. 10 on the basis of the shipments of equipment and aircraft parts it has provided to Russia. In its press release, the Treasury Department noted Iran Air’s «history of transporting goods on behalf of Iran’s [IRGC] and Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics (MODAFL).»
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei delivers a speech during a program held following the killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in an Israeli attack and subsequent Iranian strikes at the Imam Khomeini Hussainiyah in Tehran, Iran, on Oct. 2, 2024. (Photo by Iranian Leader Press Office/Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images)
The Treasury and State Departments did not respond to Fox News Digital’s inquiry about any known ties between Iran Air and Hezbollah. A spokesperson from the Treasury Department did emphasize that, per the new sanctions, «all property and interests in property of the persons above that are in the United States or in the possession or control of U.S. persons are blocked and must be reported to [the Office of Foreign Assets Control.]»
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Following U.S. sanctions, France, the United Kingdom and Germany announced that they would likewise «cancel bilateral air services agreements with Iran,» and «will also work towards imposing sanctions on Iran Air.»
Ali Safavi, a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Paris-based NCRI, told Fox News Digital that «the clerical regime in Iran has strategically utilized the nation’s resources and recognized civil entities, including its national airline, to further its goals of domestic suppression and the international proliferation of terrorism and extremism.»
The MEK notes that senior IRGC-Qods Force Commander Brigadier General Rostam Ghasemi, who is subject to U.S. sanctions, appointed IRGC Brigadier General Shamseddin Farzadipour to be the head of Iran Air on April 25, 2022. Prior to this role, Farzadipour was the IRCH Air and Space Force aviation operations commander.
Israeli troops display Hezbollah weapons found in south Lebanon. (IDF Spokesman’s Unit)
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Safavi said that Farzadipour’s appointment demonstrates «the airline’s alignment with [the IRGC’s] oppressive objectives,» which «blatantly contravenes established international laws and norms.»
Safavi has urged the international community to prohibit Iran Air from flying to its major hubs across Europe, and to designate the IRGC as a terror organization. He also called on the United Nations Security Council to reinstate sanctions against Iran.
When asked about the Hezbollah member’s allegations, the Permanent Mission of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Nations told Fox News Digital that «The Islamic Republic of Iran remains actively involved in the provision of humanitarian assistance to Lebanon via multiple channels and has formally expressed its preparedness to extend medical aid and receive the wounded – a proposition duly accepted by the Government of Lebanon.»
The spokesman claimed that «Lebanon is not in need of military support. The foremost and urgent priority must center upon the establishment of a ceasefire and the facilitation of relief efforts.»
Russia carried out an attack in Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine, that left one woman dead and multiple injured, according to Reuters, which cited Dnipropetrovsk regional governor Serhiy Lysak. The attack comes after Ukraine agreed to the US ceasefire proposal aimed at ending the brutal three-year war.
The location of the attack may have been meant to send a message directly to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, as it is his hometown. Kryvyi Rih has taken multiple hits from Russia over the course of the war.
Prior to the overnight attack, the city took a blow on March 6 when a Russian missile attack left four dead and 32 injured, according to Reuters.
Russia’s attack comes at a pivotal time in the war as Ukraine appears to be turning its focus to peace. Ukrainian officials engaged in talks with their U.S. counterparts this week in Saudi Arabia. The meeting was confirmed by Zelenskyy last week, who said that «Ukraine is most interested in peace.»
A view shows a damaged hotel at the site of a Russian missile strike, in Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine, on March 12, 2025. (Reuters/Mykola Synelnykov)
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Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters on Tuesday that Ukraine had «accepted» the U.S. ceasefire plan.
«The President’s objective here is, number one, above everything else, he wants the war to end. And I think today Ukraine has taken a concrete step in that regard. We hope the Russians will reciprocate,» Secretary Rubio said on Tuesday while addressing reporters in Saudi Arabia.
U.S. officials, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (Reuters/Getty )
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President Donald Trump addressed the ceasefire while speaking to attendees of the Business Roundtable meeting on Tuesday.
«I’ve been saying that Russia’s been easier to deal with so far than Ukraine, which is not supposed to be the way it is,» President Trump said. «But it is, and we hope to get Russia. But we have a full ceasefire from Ukraine. That’s good.»
Kremlin spokesperson Demitry Peskov told reporters on Wednesday that Russia is holding off on commenting on the U.S.-Ukraine ceasefire proposal until it gets more «detailed information.» Secretary Rubio said the plan will be «directly» delivered to the Russians.
President Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin (Alessandro Bremec/NurPhoto via Getty Images | Contributor/Getty Images | Scott Olson/Getty Images)
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Following a tense Oval Office encounter with President Trump and Vice President JD Vance, President Zelenskyy appeared to change his tune about the war. Following the meeting, President Trump wrote on Truth Social that President Zelenskyy was «not ready for peace.» However, the two appeared to have reconciled, as Trump read a letter from Zelenskyy during his address to a joint session of Congress last week.
«Earlier today, I received an important letter from President Zelenskyy of Ukraine,» President Trump said. «The letter reads, ‘Ukraine is ready to come to the negotiating table as soon as possible to bring lasting peace closer. Nobody wants peace more than the Ukrainians, he said. My team and I stand ready to work under President Trump’s strong leadership to get a peace that lasts.’»
El contexto del conflicto
Confusión
Todos los servicios del ferrocorril fueron suspendidos. Foto: EFE INTERNACIONAL
‘Overblown’ reports on Israel-Lebanon normalization risk hindering border talks before they begin: official
FIRST ON FOX: Reports that surfaced on Wednesday suggesting Israel and Lebanon were pursing «normalization» ties have been «overblown» and risk hurting actual hard-fought discussions, a U.S. official familiar with the talks told Fox News Digital.
Israeli reports, citing an anonymous senior Israeli official, claimed that renewed talks with Lebanon were aimed at reaching a standard diplomatic relationship between the two nations, just months after a ceasefire agreement was reached following Jerusalem’s offensive against Hezbollah.
But the U.S. official, who also requested to remain anonymous due to the sensitive nature of the Israel-Lebanon talks, said border security is the main priority at this moment.
Supporters carry pictures of Hezbollah commander Ibrahim Akil, who was killed in an airstrike, during his funeral procession in Beirut, Lebanon on Sunday, Sept. 22. (AP/Bilal Hussein)
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The «current focus is ridding Lebanon of Hezbollah and corrupt officials,» the U.S. official emphasized.
«Normalized» ties between Israel and other nations in the Middle East were a cornerstone of the first Trump administration, which looked to bring security to Israel by establishing diplomatic ties between Jerusalem and its Arab neighbors.
But relations in the Middle East have drastically shifted since 2021, when Trump left office.
Not only is Israel staring down the glaring issue of Hamas – which still holds 59 hostages, 58 of whom were taken by the terrorist group during the Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attacks – but the «day after» plan for the Gaza Strip remains unclear.
Destroyed buildings in the northern Gaza Strip on Feb. 11, 2025. (Bashar Taleb/AFP via Getty Images)
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As negotiations between the U.S., Israel, Egypt, Qatar and Hamas continue, the threat posed by other Iran-backed terrorist networks remains – particularly when it comes to the Houthis in Yemen and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
The Biden administration, alongside France, helped broker a 60-day ceasefire in late November between Israel, Hezbollah and Lebanon that intended to end the hostilities by dismantling the terrorist organization in southern Lebanon coupled with the withdrawal of Israeli forces – neither were ever fully realized.
Despite the end of the ceasefire in late January, the security situation in southern Lebanon has remained relatively stable, though it continues to be a precarious situation.
Working groups that will encompass U.S., Israeli and Lebanese officials, are being established to renew talks on unresolved issues relating to prisoner releases, border disputes and the presence of IDF troops in southern Lebanon – which currently remain in a move to safeguard Israelis living in the country’s north.
The southern Lebanese town of Kfarkela as seen from the border of Israel, on Feb. 18, 2025. (Mostafa Alkharouf/Anadolu via Getty Images)
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Talks between officials from Washington, Jerusalem and Beirut are not expected to begin until April and will focus on removing the threat Hezbollah poses to Israel and regional stability.
The U.S. official familiar with the talks told Fox News Digital that any suggestion of establishing formal diplomatic ties, like those forged with the UAE and Bahrain, were «premature.»
Fox News Digital could not reach Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office for comment.
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