Jordan suspends flights to Lebanon amid Israel-Hezbollah escalation

By Mohammad Sio

ISTANBUL (AA) – Jordan on Monday suspended its flights to the Lebanese capital, Beirut, amid fears of a potential Israeli attack on Lebanon.

The Royal Jordanian Airlines said it will cancel flights for Monday and Tuesday upon a decision by the Civil Aviation Regulatory Commission to temporarily suspend all airline flights to Beirut Airport, the state news agency Petra said.

The move comes as Israeli threats reached a fever pitch following a Saturday missile strike on Israel-occupied Syrian Golan Heights, targeting the town of Majdal Shams.

The attack resulted in the deaths of 12 members of the Druze community and left around 40 others injured.

While Israel has blamed Hezbollah for Saturday’s attack in Majdal Shams, the group denied any responsibility.

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 to assess the situation.

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 between the two sides.

The escalation comes against the backdrop of a deadly Israeli onslaught on Gaza, which has killed more than 39,300 people since last October, following an attack by the Palestinian resistance group Hamas.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio