Lebanese minister: Russian military Mediterranean drills end, Beirut to resume flight routes

Published November 22, 2015

Lebanon's transportation minister says Russia has wrapped up military drills that disrupted air traffic in and out of Beirut, allowing flights to resume on their normal routes.

The state-run National News Agency quoted the minister, Ghazi Zeaiter, as saying Sunday that Russia informed Lebanon that the aerial exercises over the Mediterranean were complete.

Russia began the drills on Friday. Although flights continued in and out of Beirut, carriers had to take different routes that avoid flying over Syria's waters, and some airlines canceled flights.

Russia has been carrying out airstrikes in neighboring Syria and has intensified those strikes in recent days after confirmation that a bomb brought down a Russian plane over Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, killing all 224 people on board.

The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack.

URL

https://www.foxnews.com/world/lebanese-minister-russian-military-mediterranean-drills-end-beirut-to-resume-flight-routes