Lufthansa suspends flights to Beirut
The German airline group said it is suspending flights to the Lebanese capital up to and including July 30 because of the current situation in the Middle East.
It said flights by the group’s carriers, Swiss International Air Lines, Eurowings and Lufthansa have been suspended “in an abundance of caution”.
More Beirut flights cancelled, delayed
Earlier, we reported that Lebanon’s Middle East Airlines has announced delays to some of its flights. Reuters, citing Beirut airport’s flight information board, is now reporting that Turkish Airlines also cancelled two flights overnight on Sunday.
The agency also cited Flightradar24 as saying that Turkey-based budget carrier SunExpress, Turkish Airlines subsidiary AJet, Greek carrier Aegean Airlines, Ethiopian Air and MEA have also cancelled flights scheduled to land in Beirut on Monday.
The airlines have not commented publicly on the reasons for the cancellations.
Beirut-Rafic Hariri International Airport is Lebanon’s only airport. It has been targeted in the country’s civil war, and previous fighting with Israel, including in the last war between Hezbollah and Israel in 2006.
Efforts under way to contain awaited Israeli response: Lebanon’s top diplomat
Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib says a flurry of diplomatic activity is under way to contain an expected Israeli response against Hezbollah.
The United States, France and others were trying to prevent a regional conflict, he said in an interview yesterday night with local broadcaster al-Jadeed.
“Israel will escalate in a limited way and Hezbollah will respond in a limited way … These are the assurances we’ve received,” Bou Habib said.
Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati said in a statement yesterday that “talks are ongoing with international, European and Arab sides to protect Lebanon and ward off dangers”.
Italian foreign minister discusses need to avoid ‘new war’ with Israeli, Lebanese counterparts
Antonio Tajani says he has spoken to his counterparts – Israel’s Israel Katz and Lebanon’s Abdallah Bou Habib – seeking “to avoid a new war” in the Middle East.
“Breaking the spiral of violence is possible,” the foreign minister said on X, adding that the Italian government was committed to peace and stability in the region, including through Italy’s presence in the UNIFIL contingent.
“[The UN] 1701 is crucial,” he added, referring to the UN resolution adopted in 2006 to bring an end to the war between Israel and Hezbollah fighters in Lebanon.
That’s when UN peacekeepers were deployed to monitor a ceasefire along the 120km (75-mile) demarcation line, or Blue Line, between Israel and Lebanon.
