Seagull populations around Beirut International Airport have increased in number and now pose a grave threat to civil aviation.
The cause has been linked to the nearby Costa Brava landfill – a source of food for the birds-and the adjacent, highly polluted Ghadir River, which pours into the sea.
Naturally, this has triggered a wave of panic in the country, with people taking to social media to air their grievances.
It's a bird. It's a plane. It's corruption.
Like something out of Alfred Hitchhock's The Birds
Or, Clint Eastwood's "Sully"
People are genuinely concerned
While others are pitching ideas
Now hiring: Professional bird shooers. Attractive salary.
According to local media, several planes have encountered the birds on the tarmac, and authorities are now installing new bird repellers in hopes of making the airport safer.
Also, a judge has ordered a temporary closure of the landfill in light of the escalating dangers.
The Costa Brava landfill was established in 2016, as one of two sites to solve Lebanon's waste management crisis. Since then, environmentalists and activists have repeatedly sounded the alarm on the risks posed by the dump.
Here's hoping the matter is resolved before tragedy strikes.