Israeli role likely behind Beirut Airport hack, Lebanon security says

Lebanese security forces suspect that Israel may have been behind a cyber attack on Beirut Airport on Sunday which caused anti-Hezbollah messages to be shown on terminal screens.

Local media circulated images of the message criticising Hezbollah, urging the paramilitary group not to "drag the country into war".

The messages also showed the emblem of the Christian "Soldiers of God" group, who strongly denied involvement and called the attack "the work of the devil".

An unnamed Lebanese security source who spoke to Asharq Al-Awsat said there were signs of Israeli involvement in the attack, particularly given the Soldiers of God's denial.

“We have a lot of work to do before we have a clear picture,” the source said.

The message said the airport was "not the airport of Hezbollah and Iran", according to the reports.

"Hassan Nasrallah, no one will support you if you drag the country into war," it added, addressing the group's leader, also saying "we will not fight on behalf of anyone".

Israel's assassination on Tuesday of Hamas's deputy leader Saleh al-Arouri in southern Beirut has raised fears of escalation.

"You're going to blow up our airport by bringing in weapons. Let the airport be freed from the grip of the (Hezbollah) statelet," the hackers' airport message said.

On Saturday, Hezbollah fired more than 60 rockets at an Israeli military base in response to the Israeli strike on Beirut.

Israel confirmed that the Meron air base was struck, without elaborating on the extent of the damage. Footage released by Hezbollah appeared to show anti-tank missiles hitting two radar domes.

On Monday, an Israeli strike in southern Lebanon killed Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Force commander Wissam Tawil, in another major escalation.