A Qatar Airways flight arrived in Beirut

[White Cap]

Source: Guardian (UK)

BEIRUT, 5 September 2006 — A Qatar Airways flight arrived in Beirut from Doha yesterday, breaking an Israeli air-and-sea blockade of Lebanon. Qatar also announced yesterday that it would contribute up to 300 troops to a UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon, becoming the first Arab country to do so.

Flight QR 422 arrived in the Lebanese capital shortly before 1230 GMT with 120 passengers on board. It left Beirut again at 1335 GMT and touched down in Doha at 1625 GMT. The airline plans to operate the flights daily, a company spokesman said earlier in Doha.

A spokesman for Israel’s Foreign Ministry, Mark Regev, said the flight would not have been possible without clearance by Israel. “The entrance into Lebanon of aircraft and ships necessitates coordination with Israel,” he said.