Close Call for a Private Jet

It was just after dusk when the French-built Falcon 20 flew over the presidential palace and the adjacent U.S. ambassador's residence in the Beirut suburb of Baabda. But then the plane took a second turn over the compound, and Lebanese soldiers, suspecting a terrorist attack, opened fire with antiaircraft guns. Fortunately they missed their target, a private plane owned by the Saudi Arabian Golden Contracting Co. The pilot had veered off course while approaching Beirut Airport. Aerial traffic controllers were able to guide the jet to a safe landing.

The incident illustrated the troubles faced by Americans and Lebanese worried about another possible kamikaze assault in Beirut. Lebanon's civil aviation authority has instructed planes heading for Beirut Airport to avoid Baabda. If a wayward aircraft does appear over the presidential compound, security forces have little time to decide whether the plane carries harmless civilians or terrorists with explosives. "It is not a situation we relish," says a U.S. official. "I'm afraid it's a question of shooting first and asking questions later."