CONFLICT
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August 27, 2024 - As many as 15 airlines have cancelled their flights to Israel, Lebanon and Iran amid a cross-border escalation with the Lebanese group Hezbollah.
Major carriers, including Air France and the Dutch Transavia, have suspended their operations in Israel.
Other airlines, including Air India, Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, U.S. carrier Delta Air Lines, and Royal Jordanian, have cancelled their flights to Israel, driven by growing fears of a potential regional war in the Middle East.
Israel launched over 40 air strikes on southern Lebanon early Sunday in what it says was a preemptive attack, the most severe since cross-border attacks with Hezbollah began on October 8, 2023.
Hezbollah has launched about 8,000 rockets at Israeli military positions since October.
Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah Secretary-General, said it launched hundreds of missiles and drones deep into Israel in its response to the July 30 assassination of its commander, Fouad Shukr, in Beirut.
“We decided to respond individually for reasons that will become apparent over time,” Nasrallah said.
The escalation comes against the backdrop of the war in Gaza, where Israel has killed more than 40,000 Palestinians since the October 7, 2023, Hamas incursion into Israel.