Delta suspends flights between New York and Tel Aviv
The US airline said it is pausing flights between New York and the Israeli city of Tel Aviv through August 31 “due to ongoing conflict in the region”.
Earlier, Germany’s Lufthansa also suspended its flights to Israel’s Tel Aviv, Iran’s Tehran, and Lebanon’s Beirut until August 12.
The moves come as several countries including Turkey, Japan, the US, the United Kingdom and France asked their citizens to leave Lebanon amid Iran’s threats to attack Israel over the assassinations of Hamas’s Haniyeh and Hezbollah’s military commander Fuad Shukr.
China urges ‘caution’ in travel to Lebanon
The Chinese embassy in the Lebanese capital, Beirut, issued a statement telling Chinese citizens to travel to the country with caution citing a “grim and complex” security situation.
The embassy also called on Chinese nationals and institutions in Lebanon to stay on high alert and strengthen safety precautions.
Waves of travellers leave Lebanon after security warnings
There are many people here [at the Beirut airport] who are waiting. Some have been waiting for over 16 hours due to delays. This reflects the sense of urgency and how foreign countries are trying to get as many of their people out of Lebanon as possible before an escalation.
We’ve heard warnings in recent days from the US, France, Britain, Turkey and Kuwait. The German government is providing several planes for its nationals to leave Lebanon. The Jordanian government is also going to send three planes to evacuate Jordanians.
There are also many Lebanese immigrants here who are home for the summer vacation and would like to get back to the countries they live in.
Air France, Transavia extend Beirut flight suspension
Air France has confirmed its flights, and those of its low-cost subsidiary Transavia, to Beirut will be suspended through at least Thursday, as the expected response from Iran and Hezbollah to the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh threatens to escalate the conflict.
The resumption of flights to Lebanon’s capital, which have been halted since July 29, “will be subject to a new assessment of the local situation”, the airline told AFP.
The two French airlines first stopped servicing the route after Israel pledged to retaliate following rocket fire from Lebanon that killed 12 people in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.
Air France said it “is constantly monitoring developments in the geopolitical situation of the territories served and overflown by its aircraft, to ensure the highest level of flight safety and security”.
German carrier Lufthansa has suspended flights to Beirut, Tehran and Tel Aviv until August 12. Air France said its flights to and from Tel Aviv are operating normally.
Japan urges its citizens not to travel to Israel
Japan’s Foreign Ministry has issued a travel alert urging its citizens not to visit Israel, citing rising tensions in the Middle East.
On Monday, the ministry urged Japanese nationals in Lebanon to leave the country, joining other nations such as France, the UK and the US in asking citizens to leave.
