Israel accuses Iran of building airport in southern Lebanon to launch attacks against Israelis

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel has accused Iran of building an airport in southern Lebanon that could be used as a launchpad for attacks against Israelis across the border. Speaking at a security conference hosted by Reichman University, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant claimed Iran has been building a runway just 12 miles from Israel’s northern border. Gallant displayed satellite photographs that he said showed the site, where the Iranian national flag and the flag of Lebanon’s militant Hezbollah group could be seen. Israel and Hezbollah, the Shiite group that controls much of southern Lebanon, fought a war in 2006 and since have tried to avoid another major confrontation along the border. But tensions have mounted.