Facts

• Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant alleged Monday that Iran is constructing an airport in southern Lebanon next to the border village of Birket Jabbour to use as a platform to launch attacks against Israel.
• At a security conference near Tel Aviv, Gallant claimed Iran has been building a runway that cuts through forested mountains just 12 miles from Israel’s northern border. He also provided satellite photographs that he claimed showed the site.
• Gallant further claimed that the images show "the Iranian flag flying over the runways, from which the ayatollah regime plans to operate against the citizens of Israel."
• Satellite images from Planet Labs taken on July 28 and acquired by the Associated Press appear to show work on a 3.9K-foot runway alongside four hangars constructed on a tarmac. Other images taken in January appeared to show the same runway largely unpaved.
• Neither Hezbollah, a powerful Iranian-backed political party and armed group, nor Iranian officials commented on Gallant's remarks.
• This comes as tensions along the border have continued this summer, with Hezbollah, which has a strong presence in south Lebanon and has fought multiple wars with Israel, accusing Israel of erecting a wire fence and cement wall near a contested border town. Israel has also accused Hezbollah of setting up tents on the Israeli side.