Lufthansa only resumed its flights to Israel at the beginning of September. Now the company is stopping this connection again. Reason: the short-term change in the security situation.
Following the suspected coordinated explosions of hundreds of portable radio receivers in Lebanon, the airlines Lufthansa and Air France are suspending their flights to Israel until at least Thursday. Both companies blamed a short-term change in the security situation on Tuesday evening.
The Lebanese Hezbollah militia blamed Israel for the so-called pager explosions and promised retaliation. Israel's army initially did not comment on the incidents.
The Lufthansa Group airlines have decided with immediate effect not only to suspend all connections to and from Tel Aviv, but also to and from the Iranian capital Tehran, the company announced in Frankfurt. All Israeli and Iranian airspace would be flown through until Thursday. Air France announced that it had suspended flights to Tel Aviv and the Lebanese capital Beirut.
According to the Ministry of Health, around 2,750 people were injured and nine people were killed in the explosions in Lebanon on Tuesday. The condition of around 200 injured people is said to be critical. There is speculation that Israel may have deliberately detonated the devices in order to target Hezbollah fighters.
The Lufthansa Group said it was continuing to monitor the situation closely and would continue to assess the situation in the coming days. Passengers will be able to rebook to a later travel date free of charge or have the full ticket price refunded.
The Lufthansa Group only resumed its flights to Israel almost two weeks ago. Due to the ongoing tensions, Beirut airport will remain off-limits to the companies of the group, which also includes Swiss, Austrian, Brussels Airlines and Eurowings, until September 30th.