In response to escalating cross-border tensions with the Lebanese group Hezbollah, ten foreign airlines canceled their flights to Israel on Sunday. Among the airlines that suspended operations are major carriers like Air France and Dutch Transavia, as reported by Israeli public broadcaster KAN.
Other airlines that canceled flights include Hungary’s Wizz Air, Malta-based Corendon, Ethiopian Airlines, Greek Aegean Airlines, and Greek Universal Airlines. Air France, which had continued flights between Paris and Tel Aviv, was one of the few major international carriers still operating in Israel.
Since late July, a total of 20 international airlines have canceled their flights to Israel, citing growing concerns over the potential for a regional war in the Middle East.
This development follows Israeli warplanes launching over 40 airstrikes on southern Lebanon early Sunday, marking the most severe attack since cross-border confrontations with Hezbollah began on October 8, 2023. The Israeli army stated that the strikes were intended to prevent an imminent Hezbollah attack.
In retaliation, Hezbollah announced that it had launched hundreds of missiles and drones deep into Israel, calling it the “first phase” of their response to the assassination of their commander, Fouad Shukr, in Beirut last month. Since October 8, 2023, daily exchanges of fire between Hezbollah and the Israeli army across the Lebanese-Israeli border have resulted in hundreds of casualties, predominantly on the Lebanese side.
The escalation in the north comes amid an ongoing and brutal Israeli war on the Gaza Strip, which has claimed over 40,400 Palestinian lives since October 7, following a Hamas attack. The Israeli military campaign has devastated much of Gaza, leaving most residents homeless, hungry, and vulnerable to disease.
