More airlines suspend flights to Israel’s capital

By Gokhan Ergocun

ISTANBUL (AA) - More airlines have suspended their flights to the Israeli capital.

Azerbaijan's flag carrier Azal Airlines announced suspending its flights to Tel Aviv "due to recent events and security issues in Israel."

Additional information regarding the resumption of flights between the capital Baku and Israel will be announced depending on the situation, Azerbaijan’s state-run news agency APA reported.

The UK's flag carrier British Airways and Hungary-based Wizz Air also suspended flights to Tel Aviv, according to the Times of Israel.

Last week, German-based airline Lufthansa and Air France decided to suspend all flights to and from Tel Aviv.

The decision also affected other airline firms under Lufthansa Group – Eurowings, Swiss, Austrian Airlines, and Brussels Airlines.

US-based Delta Air Lines announced Thursday it suspended flights between New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and Tel Aviv until Dec. 31, citing the "ongoing conflict."

American Airlines has also canceled its flights to and from Israel until April 2025.

Escalation between the Israeli army and the Lebanese Hezbollah group has reached a dangerous level that could ignite an all-out war between them.

Since Monday, Israel launched a barrage of airstrikes into southern and eastern Lebanon, with Lebanese health authorities saying that at least 492 people have been killed, including 35 children, and 1,645 injured in the attacks, which have also forced thousands of civilians to flee their homes, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.

The Hezbollah group said it launched six missile strikes on military installations in northern Israel, including two airfields and an explosives factory.