Lebanon’s Middle East Airlines (MEA) announced the cancellation or delay of several flights at Beirut airport on Friday, citing insurance risks as tensions escalate between Israel and armed political group Hezbollah.
The disruptions come amid heightened tensions in the region, with Israel and Hezbollah trading blows in a growing conflict that has raised concerns for air travel safety. On Saturday, a rocket attack that killed 12 teenagers and children in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights escalated tensions between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah, sparking concerns of a full-scale war.
Israel’s security cabinet authorised the government to respond to the strike, which was denied by Hezbollah, the deadliest attack in Israel or Israeli-annexed territory since the start of the Gaza war.
Lufthansa and its subsidiary Eurowings have cancelled three Monday afternoon flights to Beirut, according to the airport’s information board and the flight tracking website Flightradar24.
‘Turkish Airlines cancels flights overnight’
Turkish Airlines also cancelled two flights overnight on Sunday. Turkey-based budget carrier SunExpress, Turkish Airlines subsidiary AJet, Greek carrier Aegean Airlines, Ethiopian Air, and Middle East Airlines (MEA) have also cancelled flights scheduled to land in Beirut on Monday, Flightradar24 showed.
The airlines did not immediately respond to requests for comment. 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 2006 war between Hezbollah and Israel.
On Sunday, MEA said it had delayed some flights set to land in Beirut overnight. Additional delays for flights landing on Monday were then announced due to “technical reasons related to the distribution of insurance risks for aircraft between Lebanon and other destinations”, MEA said.
Hezbollah and the Israeli military have increased cross-border exchanges of fire since the Gaza conflict began. The conflict has disrupted flights and shipping across the region, including during reciprocal drone and missile attacks between Israel and Iran in April.
Lufthansa has already suspended night-time flights to and from Beirut for July due to “current developments” in the Middle East.