Thursday, July 13 2006 12:40 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Beirut (Lebanon): Israeli warplanes struck the runways of Beirut international airport in the Lebanese capital's Hezbollah-controlled southern suburbs, forcing the closure of the facility, police and airport officials said.

Shells began crashing at a runway of the country's only international airport early this morning during the ongoing Israeli air and sea assault against Lebanon, forcing diversion of two flights to Cyprus, airport employees said.

A shell crashed shortly after 6 AM (0830 IST) on the eastern runway, one of the three the facility had, employees reported.

Another impact was heard shortly afterward. Two flights arriving at the airport had to return to Larnaca Airport in the island of Cyprus.

The Lebanese police reported the shells hit the runways and a road leading from the city.

A senior airport official announced the facility closed shortly after the shells landed and asked scheduled flights to divert to Cyprus, the neighboring Mediterranean island.

The main terminal building of the US$ 500 million facility, which was built in the late 1990s, was intact.

It was not clear if all the shelling came from Israeli military aircraft or that gunboats participated in the attack on the seaside facility, which is located in the southern suburbs of Beirut, a stronghold of Hezbollah guerrillas.

The latest fighting erupted in southern Lebanon yesterday after Hezbollah attacked Israeli border positions, capturing two Israeli soldiers.