✈️An Ethiopian Airlines flight landed in Beirut on Thursday with the name of the Israeli city of Tel Aviv emblazoned on its fuselage, prompting a rebuke from Lebanese authorities.
Lebanon is technically in a state of war with neighbouring Israel.
Lebanon's directorate for civil aviation said the words Tel Aviv were in small letters and that the airline explained its practice was to mark new planes with the name of their first destination after entering service.
The Civil Aviation Authority asked the airline to remove the city's name from its fuselage before departing Beirut.
"The company was also asked to take necessary measures to ensure that there is no logo related to the Israeli enemy entity on the company's aircraft before landing at Rafic Hariri International Airport," the authority added.
"The Ethiopian company explained that it is accustomed to noting the name of the airport where the plane lands for the first time after its purchase, which is what happened with the aircraft," the directorate's statement explained.
The company said that it did not notice this before bringing the plane to Beirut.
"The directorate requested the company to remove the phrase from the plane's body before allowing it to take off from Beirut, which actually happened. It also requested the company to take the necessary measures to ensure that there are no logos related to an Israeli entity on the company's planes before landing at Beirut International Airport," the statement concluded.
Last May, Lebanese officials banned the Cypriot airline TUS AIR from flying in Lebanese airspace or landing at Beirut International Airport after it came to light that an Israeli corporation owns shares in the airline.
In 1955, Lebanon passed a law boycotting contact with Israelis or economic relations with Israeli companies.
The law prohibits any person or entity from having contact with Israelis or persons residing in Israel. It also prohibits all types of transactions — commercial, financial or otherwise — with Israel. Violation of the law is punishable by three to ten years of hard labor.
Additionally, Article 285 of the Penal Code punishes commercial transactions between a Lebanese citizen or resident of Lebanon and a national or resident of an enemy country.
Lebanon has never had diplomatic relations with Israel and regards it as an enemy state. Lebanese citizens are forbidden from contact with Israelis.
The current situation is particularly tense, with Israel and Lebanese armed group Hezbollah having been engaged in daily cross-border attacks in south Lebanon since October 8.
Hezbollah, also a political group, says it is carrying out the attacks in support of its embattled Palestinian ally Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
Hezbollah said on Tuesday it had launched drone attacks on two Israeli military bases north of the city of Acre, its deepest attack into Israel since hostilities broke out.
