UPDATE - Flights delayed or canceled at Beirut airport amid Israeli threat

ADDS LATEST DEVELOPMENT, CHANGES HEADLINE, LEDE

By Gizem Nisa Cebi

ISTANBUL (AA) - All departures and arrivals at Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport have been delayed or canceled due to the threat of a possible Israeli attack on Lebanon.

Flights from the evening of July 28 and onwards have been suspended, according to the departure and arrival information display at the airport on Sunday.

Flight information on the airport's website indicates that all flights to and from Beirut to various destinations around the world are marked "canceled" or "delayed."

The cancellations and delays are expected to continue until Monday morning.

Lebanon's flag carrier, Middle East Airlines (MEA), previously announced that some flights scheduled to depart from Beirut would be postponed until the morning of July 29.

MEA is the national airline of Lebanon headquartered in Beirut and operates flights to various destinations in the Middle East, Europe, Africa and beyond.

Earlier, the US, UK and France issued security alerts for their citizens advising them not to travel to Lebanon, citing potential disruptions in air travel due to heightened regional tensions.

Tensions in the region escalated after the Israeli army on Sunday presented the government with scenarios for a possible attack on the Lebanese group Hezbollah following a rocket attack that killed 12 people in the Israel-occupied Golan Heights, according to Israeli media.

While Israel has blamed Hezbollah for Saturday’s attack in the town of 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.

Discussions took up the possibility of “undertaking more severe military action” in Lebanon, the broadcaster said.

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.

*Alperen Aktas contributed to the story from Istanbul