Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv has resumed operations after a temporary suspension following attacks by the Israeli army on what it said were Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon.
This comes hours after the airport announced the suspension of its operations following an attack carried out by Hezbollah this morning, in response to the assassination of its senior leader Fouad Shukr in Beirut in an Israeli strike on July 30. For its part, the Directorate General of Lebanese Civil Aviation announced in a statement that “there is no truth to what is being circulated about the cancellation of all flights to and from Rafik Hariri International Airport, but rather some flights are being postponed and the airport is operating normally.”
Israeli warplanes bombed the southern Lebanon area intensively to thwart the attack, according to the Israeli occupation army.
The latest escalation between Israel and Hezbollah comes amid regional fears of a broader response from Iran and its regional allies to the assassination of Hamas political bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran on July 31.
Ben Gurion Airport announced that departing flights on Sunday morning would be delayed, and that arriving flights would be rerouted to other airports, advising travelers to check with their airlines regarding changes in flight schedules.
The Israel Airports Authority expects operations at the airport to resume at 04:00 GMT today.
The authority added, “The planes that were diverted to alternative airports, including Ramon Airport, will take off and return to Ben Gurion Airport.”
Today, Air France cancelled its flights from Paris to Israel in both directions. Air France was one of the major foreign airlines still operating in Israel.
Low-cost carrier VZair is also expected to cancel all flights to Israel, but the company has not yet made an official announcement.
Irish low-cost airline Ryanair has cancelled flights until at least August 27.
The official Jordanian news agency reported that Royal Jordanian Airlines suspended its flights to and from Beirut on Sunday “due to the current situation,” without specifying a specific time frame for the suspension of flights.
Reuters quoted officials as saying that Jordanian airspace was not witnessing any disruption.
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International airlines recently announced suspension of flights to the region:
Aegean Airlines
The company, which is the Greek national carrier, has cancelled its flights to and from Amman until September 30, to and from Beirut until October 1, and to and from Tel Aviv until October 26.
Air Algerie
Air Algérie has temporarily suspended flights to and from Lebanon until further notice.
Air Baltic
The Latvian state-owned carrier has cancelled all flights to and from Tel Aviv until August 25.
Air France-KLM Group
KLM has cancelled all flights to and from Tel Aviv until October 26. Air France resumed flights between Paris and Beirut on August 15, after suspending them for two weeks.
The Franco-Dutch group’s low-cost airline Transavia has cancelled flights to and from Tel Aviv until March 31, 2025, and flights to Amman until November 3.
Air India
Air India has suspended flights to and from Tel Aviv until further notice.
Cathay Pacific
The Hong Kong-based airline has cancelled all flights to Tel Aviv until March 27, 2025.
Delta Airlines
Delta Air Lines has extended its suspension of flights to Israel until October 31.
easyjet
EasyJet, the British low-cost airline, suspended flights to and from Tel Aviv in April and will resume them on March 30, 2025, a spokesman said.
Finnair
Finnair continues to avoid Iranian airspace, which could result in extended flight times to and from Doha.
Ita Airways
Italian airline ITA has extended its suspension of flights to and from Tel Aviv until August 26.
Lot
The Polish airline said in an emailed statement to Reuters that it had suspended flights to Tel Aviv and Beirut until August 26.
Lufthansa Group
The German airline group, which also includes Swiss, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Condor and Eurowings, has extended the suspension of flights to and from Tel Aviv, Tehran, Beirut, Amman and the Iraqi city of Erbil until August 26.
Ryanair
Ryanair, Europe’s largest low-cost carrier, has cancelled flights to and from Tel Aviv until September 30 due to “operational constraints”.
Singapore Airlines
The company has stopped flying through Iranian airspace and is taking alternative routes.
Sun Express
SunExpress, a joint venture between Turkish Airlines and Lufthansa, said in an emailed statement to Reuters that it had suspended flights to Beirut until Dec. 17.
Tarom
On August 20, the Romanian national airline extended the suspension of its flights to Beirut until September 2, while temporarily resuming flights to Tel Aviv and Amman until August 23.
United Airlines
The Chicago-based airline has suspended flights to Tel Aviv for an indefinite period. The airline had suspended its daily flights between Newark, New Jersey, and Tel Aviv on July 31, citing security concerns.
Bioling
The Spanish low-cost airline, owned by IAG, has cancelled all flights to Tel Aviv and Amman until October 26.
