Beirut airport remains open as Iraqi Airways halts flights

BAGHDAD, Iraq — A Beirut airport official said flights were continuing on Monday evening and that no closure decision had been issued for the airport. The official said Beirut airport was operating normally and that airlines were continuing to run services in the usual way. The statement came as regional security concerns prompted changes by at least one carrier. Iraqi Airways, however, said it had suspended flights to Beirut. The company said the decision was taken because of security conditions in the region and out of concern for passenger safety. It said the resumption of Beirut services would depend on approval from the crisis cell and other relevant authorities. The developments followed an Israeli military warning calling on residents of Beirut’s southern suburbs to evacuate. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz also said they had ordered strikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs earlier the same day.