US airlines Delta and United on Wednesday announced the cancellation of planned flights to Israel for several days amid spiraling tensions with Hezbollah and Iran and an anticipation of potential large-scale attacks on the Jewish state in the coming days.
Delta canceled its flights until August 2. United canceled its flights until August 6. Hebrew media estimated that the cancellations left tens of thousands of Israelis stranded in the United States.The cancellations by United and Delta, respectively the second- and third-largest airlines in the world, could spark a wave of cancellations by other airlines.
Iran has pledged to avenge the killing of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in a missile strike on Tehran early Thursday. Hamas and Iran both blamed the killing on Israel, which remains mum.The assassination came hours after an Israeli airstrike in Beirut killed Hezbollah military leader Fuad Shukr in retaliation for the terror group’s missile strike that killed 12 children in Majdal Shams.
The region is bracing for the possibility of a major escalation between Israel and its regional foes Hezbollah and Iran, as world leaders have warned of the destructive potential of all-out war. Israel has said it does not wish war but is ready to act against ongoing attacks against it.Israel has experienced repeated cancellations by Israeli airlines amid the war in Gaza and confrontations with Iran and its proxies.
Non-Israeli airlines canceled flights to Tel Aviv after October 7, when thousands of Hamas-led terrorists stormed southern Israel to kill nearly 1,200 people and kidnap 251, sparking the war. Flights began resuming in March, only to be stopped again in April after Iran’s unprecedented missile-and-drone strike on Israel the night of April 13. British Airways resumed flights in April, and United and Delta resumed them in June.Wednesday’s cancellations came after the German Lufthansa group canceled two nighttime flights to Israel from Frankfurt and Munich on Monday, before the assassinations in Beirut and Tehran.The group, whose carriers include Swiss International Air Lines and Eurowings, also announced Monday that it was canceling all flights to and from Beirut until August 5.
Several Western countries, including the United States and the United Kingdom, have warned their citizens against travel to Lebanon. Poland on Tuesday said it stands ready to evacuate its citizens from Lebanon.
Correction: This article previously stated in error that British Airways had canceled flights to Israel. British Airways says flights to Tel Aviv are currently operating as planned.