BEIRUT

Lebanon has said it will file a lawsuit against the British daily The Telegraph over an article alleging the presence of Iranian weapons and missiles at Beirut's Rafik Hariri International Airport stored by the Lebanese group Hezbollah.

The newspaper's article “seeks to tarnish the reputation of Beirut International Airport,” the country’s Public Works and Transport Minister Ali Hamieh told a news conference on Sunday.

He called on ambassadors and media outlets to visit the airport and refute the claims made by The Telegraph.

No immediate reaction was available from the daily as of yet.

On Sunday, The Telegraph, citing airport whistleblowers, said Hezbollah was storing huge quantities of Iranian weapons, missiles, and explosives at the airport.

Hamieh criticized the British newspaper for failing to use reliable sources in its article about the airport.

Lebanon “will file a lawsuit against The Telegraph because its article aims to damage the reputation of the airport,” the minister added.

He did not specify which court Lebanon would file the lawsuit with but mentioned that details would be announced later.

Early Sunday, the Lebanese Air Transport Union called the British media report “lies” and accused the newspaper of endangering airport workers and passengers.

The media report was published at a time when tensions were rising along Lebanon's border with Israel amid cross-border attacks between Hezbollah and Israeli forces as Tel Aviv presses ahead with its deadly offensive on the Gaza Strip, which has killed nearly 37,600 people since last Oct. 7.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio