Lufthansa to stop continuing flights to Israel
The tense situation in the Middle East is also affecting air passengers. Due to security concerns, the Lufthansa group has halted its flights to the Lebanese capital Beirut. Now, a plane after its stopover in Cyprus does not take off towards Israel.
Lufthansa canceled a connecting flight from Cyprus to Tel Aviv due to security concerns early in the morning. The A321 aircraft, which had landed in Larnaca as scheduled from Munich, was supposed to continue to Israel with a new crew, but the flight was canceled because Iran had temporarily closed its airspace. Lufthansa did not consider the safety of flights to Tel Aviv to be guaranteed.
The security situation in the Middle East is already tense, and it has become even more so after the killing of two key opponents of Israel. One of the attacks, which Iran blames on Israel, took place in the Iranian capital Tehran. The Iranian leadership is threatening retaliation.
The Lufthansa spokesperson explained that there are currently no restrictions on flight operations to Tel Aviv. After the cancellation of the connecting flight from Cyprus to Israel, 23 of the 190 passengers, according to the airline, did not want to fly back to Munich and remained in Cyprus.
With the recently introduced stopover in the Mediterranean island state, Lufthansa avoids crew overnight stays in the tense region. Another flight of the group's subsidiary Austrian had to be diverted to Sofia.
Iran threatens retaliation
After the killing of the political leader of Hamas, Ismail Haniyah, in Tehran, Iranian President Massoud Peseschkian threatened retaliation. Iran will ensure that "the terrorist occupiers regret their cowardly act," Peseschkian said, according to state media.
Haniyah was reportedly killed Wednesday night in a residence for war veterans in the north of the Iranian capital Tehran. His apartment was hit by a projectile from the air, Nournews reported. Iran blames Israel for the attack. There has been no confirmation from the Israeli side so far.
Flights to Beirut suspended
After the deadly rocket attack on the Golan Heights annexed by Israel, the Lufthansa group had already halted its flights to the Lebanese capital Beirut on Monday due to security concerns. All flights are suspended until next Monday (5th of August), the group announced. Affected are the companies Swiss, Lufthansa, and Eurowings. Initially, cancellations were only planned until this Tuesday.
Air France also suspended its flights from Paris to Beirut for Monday and Tuesday due to security concerns, the airline announced. Jordan's news agency Petra reported on X that the national airline Royal Jordanian Airline had suspended its flights to the Lebanese capital until Tuesday.
On Saturday afternoon, a rocket fired from Lebanon hit the football field of the village of Majdal Shams. According to Israeli reports, at least 12 children and teenagers aged between 10 and 16 were killed.
Israel and the USA blame the attack on Hezbollah. The militia supported by Iran denies responsibility for the rocket attack. The Israeli security cabinet gave the green light for a military reaction against Hezbollah.
The Commission issued a statement expressing concern over the escalating tensions in the Middle East. The Commission urged all parties involved to exercise restraint and prioritize diplomacy to avoid further escalation.
In light of the heightened security concerns following the suspension of flights to Beirut, The Commission is considering additional security measures for flights to and from the region.
