TEHRAN- Anger has flared in Beirut following the Lebanese authorities' decision to block an Iranian plane from landing at Rafic Hariri International Airport on Thursday

A large number of people took to the streets around the airport on Thursday night to condemn the cancellation of the civilian flight from Tehran to Beirut. 

The angry protesters set fire to tires and created roadblocks amid clashes with the army that was attempting to reopen the road. 

The demonstrators chanted slogans against the United States and Israel. 

They accused the Lebanese government of implementing the measure under the influence of Tel Aviv and Washington. 

The chief executive of Tehran’s Imam Khomeini International Airport, Saeed Chalandri, told the Mehr News Agency that the Mahan Air flight to Beirut was canceled before takeoff because Lebanon had not granted it permission to land.

Dozens of Lebanese nationals were stranded in Tehran after the Maher Air airline was informed that its flight to Beirut would not be able to land.

The situation has sparked widespread confusion among the Lebanese public.

The move came after the Israeli army accused Iran of exploiting civilian flights to Beirut airport to smuggle cash to the Hezbollah resistance movement. The regime has failed to provide any evidence to back up its claim. 

Last month, another Mahan Air flight was flagged and searched under unsubstantiated claims that it was delivering funds to Hezbollah. The decision incited outrage, leading demonstrators to arrange a sit-in close to the airport.

Lebanese media has reported that Iranian airlines Mahan Air and Iran Air, the nation’s flagship carrier, have been barred from flying into Beirut.