Royal Jordanian resumes flights to Lebanese capital after cease-fire

By Laith Jnaidi

AMMAN, Jordan (AA) - Joran’s flag carrier will resume flights to the Lebanese capital Beirut on Sunday after a cease-fire deal between Lebanon and Israel.

Royal Jordanian Airlines suspended its flights to Beirut in late August amid an escalation of warfare between Israel and the Hezbollah group.

CEO Samer Majali said Thursday that the flights will be resumed on Sunday after the cease-fire agreement between Lebanon and Israel.

On Wednesday, Haitham Mesto, head of the Jordanian Civil Aviation Commission, said the agency was closely monitoring developments in Lebanon to assess the safety of operations at Beirut’s Rafic Hariri International Airport and ensure the security of flights over Lebanese airspace.

The cease-fire came into force on Wednesday, ending over 14 months of fighting between the Israeli army and Hezbollah.

Under the terms of the cease-fire, Israel will withdraw its forces south of the Blue Line de facto border in a phased manner while the Lebanese army deploys its forces in southern Lebanon within a period that does not exceed 60 days.

Implementation of the agreement will be overseen by the US and France, but details on enforcement mechanisms remain unclear.

More than 3,960 people have been killed and over 16, 500 in Israeli attacks in Lebanon and over 1 million displaced since October last year, according to Lebanese health authorities.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio in Istanbul