On December 8, the Saudi “Al Arabiya” channel based in Dubai reported that Israel is concerned about a new flight route that Iran operates between Tehran and Beirut. According to the article, the airline “Meraj Airlines” launched, as of November 14, a direct air line to Beirut that is supposed to be part of the civil aviation but is suspected as a “cover” for the transfer of precision missile kits to Hezbollah in Lebanon. Missile accuracy kits can also be smuggled in suitcases and in the end it depends on the enforcement of the customs in the field and the Lebanese security mechanisms.

The Saudi channel did not indicate the specific plane, but in a check conducted by the “Intelli Times” blog, using the air tracking application, it emerged that it was a plane bearing the identification number EP-AJI of the Iranian airline. The plane made several “undeclared” and semi-overt sorties throughout the month of November and early December. The new line joins the regular line IRM1152 to Beirut, which Mahan Air has been running for years to Beirut. Both companies are identified with the Revolutionary Guards, so there is no new route here, but what appears to be an Iranian “habituation” operation in order to create a logistical route for smuggling weapons.
Israel understands that a kinetic attack in Beirut is probably not an option as it happens, from time to time at the Damascus International Airport or at another port in Syria, and that the purpose of the publication is mainly to signal the Lebanese government and customs officials and the Lebanese security mechanisms about the suspicious activity.
So what do we know about Meraj Air company planes?

This is an airline that operates from Maharabad Airport and is maintained by the Air Force’s technical setup. The company’s planes, such as a plane bearing the identification number EP-AJC, underwent changes in the structure of the passenger cabin so that they would also be suitable for official government flights. Did the changes include hidden cells? It is not clear. What is clear is that the company is managed by Brigadier General Seyed Mohammad Mir Samey, who commanded the Military University of Aviation Sciences and Technologies.

From the “Shahid Setri” Military University of Aviation Sciences, some of the Air Force advisers of the Revolutionary Guards who were sent to Syria to manage the air projects such as the Air Defense and Missile Precision Project also came out. The previous CEO of the company is Brigadier General Toraj Zangana. Zangana is A veteran army officer who was formerly the director of the Air Force hangars at Mehrabad Airport in Tehran. The same hangars are also used to hide and load military cargo onto planes affiliated with the Revolutionary Guards. Brigadier General Toraj Zangana was already added to the US sanctions list in 2018.

In Lebanon they were quick to point out that this is a weekly flight of Meraj Airlines departing from Shahed (not accurate) and that every suitcase from Tehran will be checked by customs (usually the checks are samples). The Iranian flight received the declared flight number “MRJ4853” but our checks revealed that it was not It is still possible to register for one of the flights to Beirut, which are apparently already departing. Samir Jaage, leader of the “Lebanese Forces” party called for a thorough government investigation.