As Israel’s international airport slowly resumed normal operations on Sunday, there was great uncertainty for travelers at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport.
At 5:20 a.m., flights were briefly suspended as Israel launched a preemptive strike against Hezbollah. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reported that the Iran-backed terror group was planning an attack on Tel Aviv. As a result, several flights were diverted to Ramon Airport outside the southern Israeli city of Eilat, while others were diverted to Larnaca in Cyprus or Cairo in Egypt.
Following a security assessment, operations at Ben Gurion Airport resumed at 7:00 a.m.
“We have a busy day for flights and an unusual morning,” said Ben-Gurion Director Udi Bar-Oz. “Several international companies have canceled their flights today and we are in contact with them.”
Bar-Oz advised passengers to check with their airline before arriving at the airport.
According to the Ministry of Transport, around 50,000 passengers were expected to pass through the airport on 323 arriving and departing flights.
On Sunday morning, Hezbollah fired more than 200 rockets and drones at Israel, claiming it was in retaliation for the assassination of Hezbollah’s “defense minister” Fuad Shukr in Beirut. Shukr was responsible for a rocket attack that killed 12 children at a soccer field in the Israeli Druze village of Majdal Shams.
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Around 100 fighter jets attacked and destroyed thousands of Hezbollah launch sites ready to fire on northern and central Israel. Another 40 launch sites were also hit.
As a result of Hezbollah’s barrage of fire, an Israeli was moderately injured by shrapnel in the coastal city of Akko.
Due to the ongoing high tensions with Hezbollah and Iran, many international airlines have suspended their flights to Israel, leaving thousands of Israelis stranded abroad.
Nearly 80,000 Israelis were forced to flee their homes near the Lebanese border when Hezbollah began firing rockets and drones in October. Hezbollah leaders have said they will continue the attacks to prevent Israelis from returning to their homes. The attacks killed 26 civilians and 19 soldiers on the Israeli side.
Since October 8, Hezbollah has fired more than 6,700 rockets and drones.
Israeli politicians are calling for the disarmament and withdrawal of Hezbollah from southern Lebanon in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the Second Lebanon War in 2006.
(WITH INPUTS FROM ANI)
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