Lebanon's Civil Aviation Regulatory Authority has begun a safety audit at Middle East Airlines, after groups of pilots raised concerns about crews being forced to fly near airstrike sites and being punished for reporting safety incidents, letters showed. This audit puts the Beirut-based national airline under the microscope, after it continued to operate its flights in Lebanon despite the war and financial collapse, at a time when foreign airlines have avoided large parts of the airspace in the Middle East due to the dangers of missiles and drones since the start of the US-Israeli war on Iran in February. Middle East Airlines, which operates a fleet of about 20 aircraft to destinations in the Middle East, Europe and West Africa, has received local praise for its continued flights during the regional conflict, and for its role in supporting a fragile economy that increasingly depends on tourism and remittances from expatriates.