Polish Airlines suspends flights to Tel Aviv following Houthi missile attack

By Ahmet Gencturk

ATHENS (AA) - LOT Polish Airlines has joined a growing list of international carriers suspending flights to Tel Aviv following Sunday’s Houthi missile strike near Israel’s main airport.

The airline suspended flights to Ben-Gurion Airport until Wednesday, according to Poland’s public broadcaster TVP.

Ryanair, which operates routes between Tel Aviv and the Polish cities of Krakow and Poznan, also suspended operations until Tuesday.

Other major airlines, including Lufthansa, Delta Air Lines, British Airways and Air India, have also halted flights to Tel Aviv due to security concerns.

Hungarian low-cost carrier Wizz Air has also suspended its flights until Thursday.

The travel disruptions come after a missile claimed by Yemen’s Houthi group struck an area near Ben-Gurion Airport in central Israel on Sunday, injuring eight people and prompting a wave of flight cancellations.

In response, Israel carried out airstrikes in Yemen on Monday, after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed retaliation over the airport attack.

Yemen has also faced an intensified US military campaign since mid-March, including around 1,300 air and naval strikes, resulting in hundreds of civilian casualties, according to the Houthis.

Since November 2023, the Houthis have targeted commercial shipping in the Red Sea, Bab al-Mandab Strait, Gulf of Aden and Arabian Sea in support of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, where nearly 52,600 people have been killed in the ongoing Israeli offensive.

The group paused its attacks after a ceasefire was declared between Israel and Hamas in January.