KLM cancels Tel Aviv flights amid regional tensions: Israeli report

​​​​​​​By Zein Khalil and Mohammad Sio

JERUSALEM/ISTANBUL (AA) - The Dutch airline KLM abruptly canceled two overnight flights to Tel Aviv scheduled for Friday and Saturday, amid heightened regional tensions, Israel’s Channel 12 reported.

The broadcaster said KLM also decided to cancel flights bound for Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates in the coming days, without issuing a statement explaining the reasons or the duration of the decision.

In a related development, Germany’s Lufthansa Group announced last week that it restricted flights to the Middle East, citing concerns about a potential escalation of tensions between the US and Iran.

The US and Israeli pressure on Iran have intensified since nationwide Iranian protests erupted in late December because of worsening economic and living conditions. Statements by US and Israeli officials have also pointed to ambitions to see the fall of Iran’s political system, in place since 1979.

Separately, Israel’s public broadcaster KAN reported last week that Israeli assessments indicate the US could launch an attack on Iran “in the coming days.”