The US embassy in Beirut has blocked the establishment of a humanitarian air bridge between Iraq and Lebanon, insisting that any consignment of humanitarian aid destined for those displaced as a result of the ongoing Israeli military offensive must be delivered via Jordan “for inspection first.”
According to a report by the Lebanese Al Akhbar Arabic-language newspaper, Washington reportedly also threatened to slap sanctions against Lebanon's flag carrier, Middle East Airlines (MEA), if its planes were used to transport those wounded by the explosion of thousands of handheld pagers and walkie-talkies in terror attacks by Israel.
Furthermore, the US embassy in Lebanon receives a “daily manifesto” of all passengers traveling through Beirut-Rafic Hariri International Airport from the International Air Transport Association (IATA).