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THREE U.S. and British airlines canceled flights to Israel on Wednesday (07/31/2024) in response to rising security tensions in the region. Security tensions have risen as Tel Aviv braces for possible retaliation from Lebanon’s Hezbollah following the assassination of one of its top military leaders in Beirut.
Israel’s Army Radio reported that U.S. airlines United Airlines and Delta Air Lines decided to move following the assassination of senior Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr on Tuesday (07/30).
The Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth also confirmed that British Airways had announced the suspension of its flights to Israel.
“United Airlines, which operates 14 weekly flights to Tel Aviv, informed customers of flight cancellations for the coming days. Delta canceled flights from New York on Wednesday and Thursday,” the paper said.
The newspaper noted that British Airways also announced cancellations, although it was unclear whether they were for the next 24 or 48 hours. On Monday, Austrian Airlines and Germany’s Lufthansa also suspended flights to and from Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport.
In April, Israel closed its airspace for seven hours due to a massive drone and missile attack by Iran in retaliation for an Israeli airstrike on the Iranian embassy in Damascus that killed 16 people, including a senior Iranian Quds Force officer. [antaranews/photo special]
