Jumblatt: Iranian flights to Beirut transporting arms for Hizbullah
Lebanon's Druze leader calls for expulsion of Tehran ambassador, demands cessation of Iranian flights to Beirut
Pro-government Lebanese politician Walid Jumblatt has called for expelling Iran's ambassador and ceasing Iranian flights to Beirut, hinting they might be carrying weapons and money for Hizbullah.
The Druze lawmaker also warned that he and parliament majority leader Saad Hariri could be targets of assassination.
In a press conference Saturday, Jumblatt repeated his accusations that the Hizbullah has placed cameras near Beirut's International Airport to monitor the comings and goings of executive jets as part of a plot to target senior officials.
The London-based Arabic-language newspaper al-Sharq al-Awsat reported Friday that Jumblatt said he had "reliable security information" related to these suspicions, but refused to elaborate.
One of Jumblatt's party spokesmen told the paper that the information included photos and maps of a surveillance point with cameras overlooking runway 17, which serves senior officials. "Those monitoring the runway may also be able to target it," the spokesman said.
Jumblatt said Thursday that he had received secret information related to Hizbullah's plans, which includes the details of secret alliances between the terror organization's members in a number of regions. He added that his party had submitted the information to Lebanon's security officials.
The Druze leader refused to reveal who gave him the information, but said that he believed someone was following the senior officials. "It appears that we are facing a 'major security activity' on runway 17. An SA7 missile may shoot down a plane in such a situation, and we must pay attention to this," he added.
Hizbullah mocked Jumblatt's accusations. One of the organization's top spokesmen, Hussein Rahal, told the newspaper that the group was "attempting to obtain the indictment filed on behalf of Jumblatt."
In a statement published Friday evening by the al-Manar television station, Hizbullah said that "Jumblatt continues to serve as the PR propaganda mouthpiece of (US) President Bush and the American Foreign Ministry. The source of his accusations is the nightmares he has at night, which he has turned into a media circus."
The Associated Press contributed to this report
