Israel bombs Beirut Airport

[Ari707]

the Israeli Airforce bombed the Beirut airport today closing it, all flights were diverted to Cyprus.

[T-Bird76]

This is going to get alot worse before it gets better. Not good, not good at all.

[Matt Molnar]

Yeah I saw that on the TV this morning, there is video of it happening. They didn't actually bomb the whole airport, just put some strategic holes in the dead center of the runway.

I'm all for Israel defending itself, but it seems to me that they've gone insane.

[Ari707]

That's all you need to close and airport for a while...

[Mellyrose]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060713/ap_ ... non_israel (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060713/ap_on_re_mi_ea/lebanon_israel)

Apparently there's a video on that page, but the link doesn't work on my Mac.

[PhilDernerJr]

Mel, link doesn't work.

To keep this thread on-topic (since it's in the aviaiton news and not in off-topic), how long are their runways? What airlines fly to Beirut? How long would it take to fix the runways?

Beirut would also like to thank the climbing ability of the 757. Boeing new slogan can be "Craters inthe runway? I thought it was a photographer pit!"

[T-Bird76]

Beirut is a major airport in the middle east. It was recently redone top to bottom. It can handle basically all kinds of aircraft including 747s. It could take a day to fix the runway and only 2 seconds for Israel to bomb them again. Look for them to stay that way until this conflict is over.

[Ari707]

Before Friday's bombing of Beirut airport, the United States helped broker an unusual deal that allowed a runway at the Beirut airport to be repaired long enough to allow a private aircraft carrying Former Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Nakati and five planes from Middle East Airlines to take off.

[Matt Molnar]

I figured something like that would happen. I'm sure our "friends" in the middle east are pretty pissed about having their planes stuck there. There are also about 25,000 Americans in Lebanon who need to be evacuated. Maybe they'll fix the runway again to get them out.

[Ari707]

wonder if part of the deal was that the US repaid Israel for the extra bombs it had to use....

[PhilDernerJr]

As a reminder for this thread, guys, please just keep it aviation related. Post other thoughts and stuff in the Off-Topic forum.

Thanks.

[Nonstop2AUH]

As someone posted on airliners.net, under international law, civil aviation is not a legitimate target and this act may in fact be illegal. This is not opinion but law folks, if you disagree take it up with the UN and ICAO.

[T-Bird76]

If the airport was harboring militia or was being used as an escape route it by all means is fair game.

[Nonstop2AUH]

The airport was ICAO-certified and, like JFK, LGA, and EWR was being used by tourists and business travelers, and being serviced by many major global airlines who would not be serving it if it was some hotbed of terror activity. It is not a military installation. Using your logic, the NYPD should level the Bronx for harboring criminal gangs.

[Ari707]

No using that logic would mean that any airport in the US or the world that has ANG planes based on it wouldn't be a target?

what about SWF? Bradley, even FRA??????????

[Mateo]

Using your logic, the NYPD should level the Bronx for harboring criminal gangs.

Only the Philly PD bombs their own city!

[USAF Pilot 07]

Israel didn't bomb the airport in Beirut for the sole reason that it may have been used for Lebanese troop movement or the like. Israel wants to cut Lebanon off from everyone else. That's why they are "blockading" the country with ships and destroying bridges leading to Syria. They want to starve the Lebanese government of all trade, all tourism, all "physical" contact with foreigners, so that eventually the Lebanese will back down....

[LGA777]

There is an interesting photo in todays NY Post showing former PI/US/MetroJet/AeroMar/CanJet 737-201 N247US parked at Beiruit with a huge explosin in the background, quite a photo ! Here are a couple of photos of her in her colorful new livery !
http://www.airliners.net/open.file/1075332/L/

http://www.airliners.net/open.file/1073800/L/

Regards

LGA777

[Mr Smith]

Israel didn't bomb the airport in Beirut for the sole reason that it may have been used for Lebanese troop movement or the like. Israel wants to cut Lebanon off from everyone else. That's why they are "blockading" the country with ships and destroying bridges leading to Syria. They want to starve the Lebanese government of all trade, all tourism, all "physical" contact with foreigners, so that eventually the Lebanese will back down....

pretty stupid to bomb the airport then ha? just results in the foreigners being forced to stay. I know that nearly 30000 Australians have no way of getting out...well thought out attack from Tel Aviv.

from what i heard the MEA planes took off from a taxiway, if Israel did take out one of the MEA fleet there'd be hell to pay, those a/c are owned by ILFC and registered in France. :roll: