The caretaker Minister of Public Works and Transport, Ali Hamiye, did not elaborate on the origin of the cyberattack that targeted Beirut International Airport (AIB) on Sunday, stressing that he did not know “whether it was due to an internal or external action.”
“We must await the results of the investigation carried out by the security services concerned, which are due to be published in the next few days,” he said during a press conference he held at AIB on Monday.
“The party responsible for the attack has not yet been identified. Israel is an absolute enemy,” Hamiye pointed out, stressing that no one has been arrested yet.
He noted that he is not yet in a position “to give technical answers” about the cyberattack, and assured that it “is not due to administrative negligence.”
“Cybersecurity should be strengthened,” he further insisted, calling for the implementation of the law that was passed in this sense in 2019 (law n°81, editor’s note).
“Efforts are continuing to repair the damage caused by this cyberattack,” Hamiye said, pointing out that “the internet network has been cut off at AIB to limit the damage.”
Activity at the airport has returned to normal,” he added. “No flights have been delayed and over 3,000 passengers have left AIB in the last few hours. Seventy percent of screens are working again.”
