Lebanon’s Middle East Airlines (MEA) cancelled or delayed some flights to Beirut on Monday, attributing it to insurance risks related to tensions caused by Israeli artillery and rocket attacks on Lebanese territory.
Two flights on Sunday night were cancelled by Turkish Airlines. SunExpress, Aegean Airlines and Ethiopian Airlines also cancelled flights that were scheduled to land in Beirut on Monday.
Israeli Air Force planes carried out a series of raids on southern Lebanon last Sunday and bombed four Lebanese towns, Turkish news agency Anadolu reported, citing Lebanese media.
Local media reported that the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) “carried out massive artillery fire on targets in different areas of Lebanon.”
The Israeli attacks were in response to a rocket attack on the settlement of Majdal Shams in the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights. The rocket exploded on a football field. At least 12 people were killed – children aged 10 to 16.
The Israeli army blamed the Lebanese group Hezbollah for the shelling, Hezbollah representatives deny the accusations. They told the UN that a missile from Israel’s missile defence system hit the football field.
Beirut-Rafik Hariri International Airport is Lebanon’s only airport. It has been targeted many times in the country’s civil war and previous hostilities with Israel, including in the last war between Hezbollah and Israel in 2006.
Hezbollah and the Israeli military have escalated cross-border skirmishes since the Gaza war began. The conflict has disrupted air traffic and shipping in the region, including during mutual drone and missile attacks between Israel and Iran in April.
