Lebanese authorities hold tour of Beirut airport after The Telegraph's Hezbollah weapons claims

Journalists and diplomats yesterday inspected the storage facilities at Beirut–Rafic Hariri International Airport, taking pictures of Amazon packages and pallets of luxury beverages recently pulled off a plane as part of a tour put on by Lebanese authorities - and much to the bemusement of warehouse workers. The tour was done in response to an anonymously bylined article published in The Telegraph on Sunday, which quoted anonymous "whistleblowers" at the Beirut airport who alleged - with no evidence - that Hezbollah stores a wide range of weapons there, including missiles with ranges of up to 320km and explosives that affect the human nervous system. The Lebanese government immediately rejected the "ridiculous claims" and said it would raise a lawsuit against the British newspaper. It then issued an open invitation to diplomats in Beirut and members of the press to inspect the airport. About a hundred journalists and dozens of diplomats joined the tour with members of Lebanon's transport ministry and aviation services. They were taken to a cargo processing facility, the hangar where imported and exported goods were unloaded, and driven around the perimeter of the airport fence. Airport officials pointed to the presence of surveillance cameras and scanners as a prevention against the smuggling of goods through the airport, weapons or otherwise. They stressed that the airport was in line with international standards when it came to the treatment of cargo.