Middle East: Lufthansa, others cancel flights to Beirut
July 29, 2024
Germany's Lufthansa said on Monday it had suspended five routes to and from Beirut by the group's carriers — Swiss International Air Lines, Eurowings and Lufthansa — until July 30 amidescalating tensions between Israel and Hezbollah.
The German national airline said the move was "in an abundance of caution."
Lufthansa had previously suspended nighttime flights to and from Beirut for July.
Lebanon's Middle East Airlines (MEA) postponed the return of some of its flights, citing insurance risks.
Meanwhile, flight tracking website Flightradar24 data showed Turkey's SunExpress and Turkish Airlines and its subsidiary Ajet canceled flights scheduled to land in Beirut on Monday.
Other flight services, such as Greek carrier Aegean Airlines and Ethiopian Air, also followed suit.
The simmering conflict between Israel and Lebanon's Iran-backed Hezbollah had already disrupted flights and shipping across the region.
Fears of escalation of conflict
On Saturday, a rocket strike in the Israel-occupied Golan Heights killed 12 people, mostly children.
While Hezbollah denied any role in the attack, Israel and the United States accused the group of carrying it out.
Israel's security cabinet on Sunday authorised the government "to decide on the manner and timing of the response against the Hezbollah terrorist organization," the prime minister's office said in a message on social media.
Beirut-Rafic Hariri International Airport is Lebanon's only airport and was previously targeted by Israel in the war against Hezbollah in 2006.
The ongoing escalation threatens to disrupt cease-fire negotiations in Gaza.
ss/rc (Reuters, dpa)