Beirut Airport Flights Disrupted amid Rising Israel Threat
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – All flights at Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport have been delayed or canceled due to the threat of a possible Israeli attack on Lebanon.
Flights from the evening of July 28 onward have been suspended, according to the departure and arrival information display at the airport on Sunday.
Flight information on the airport's website shows all flights to and from Beirut marked as "canceled" or "delayed."
Lebanon's flag carrier, Middle East Airlines (MEA), announced that some flights scheduled to depart from Beirut would be postponed until the morning of July 29.
MEA, headquartered in Beirut, operates flights to various destinations in the Middle East, Europe, Africa, and beyond.
The German airline group Lufthansa has suspended its services to the Lebanese capital until August 5 amid increasing tensions between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah.
Flights have been canceled due to “current developments in the Middle East,” a Lufthansa spokesperson said.
The Lufthansa group, which includes SWISS and Austrian Airlines, has repeatedly paused travel to the region since the war began.
Air France and low-cost carrier Transavia France have suspended their flights between Paris and Beirut due to the “security situation” in Lebanon, according to the companies.
The announcement, which follows a similar decision by Germany’s Lufthansa, comes a day after the US, UK, and France issued security alerts for their citizens, advising them not to travel to Lebanon, citing potential disruptions in air travel due to heightened regional tensions.
Tensions escalated after the Israeli army on Sunday presented the government with scenarios for a possible attack on Hezbollah following a rocket attack that killed 12 people in the Israel-occupied Golan Heights, according to Israeli media.
Israel blamed Hezbollah for Saturday’s attack in Majdal Shams, but the resistance group denied responsibility.
The Lebanese Mayadeen TV channel on July 27 reported, citing Israeli media, that the explosion in Majdal Shams in occupied Golan Heights has been caused by an Iron Dome anti-air missile that deviated off its course.
According to Israel’s Army Radio, the military formulated scenarios for a potential attack on Hezbollah and placed them on the table for political-level discussions.
Discussions included the possibility of “undertaking more severe military action” in Lebanon, the broadcaster said.
On Saturday, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed that Hezbollah will "pay a heavy price" for the attack.
Fears have grown about a full-blown war between Israel and Hezbollah amid an exchange of cross-border attacks.
The escalation follows a deadly Israeli onslaught on Gaza, which has killed more than 39,300 people since last October after an attack by the Palestinian resistance group Hamas.