Fear of a serious reaction to the elimination of Hamas's political leader and Hezbollah's military leader is leading airlines to cancel their flights to Israel.
On Thursday, German carrier Lufthansa and Emirati Fly Dubai announced the suspension of routes to Israel, following similar announcements by United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and British Airways a day earlier. United announced that its route between Newark Airport in New Jersey to Tel Aviv would be suspended until further notice.
Air India, the only foreign carrier to fly between Israel and East Asia, announced that its flights were canceled as well.
Lowcost carriers Wizair and Ryanair's flights are continuing as scheduled but the companies are looking into the continuation of the flight schedule.
The Israel Airports Authority stated: "The security situation allows flights from and to Israel. Some of the foreign carriers are suspending and/or reducing their flights to Israel for their own internal reasons. Travelers should take into account that their return to Israel may be delayed, be in contact with the carrier, and stay updated about the flights."
Due to the cancellations, many Israelis are stranded abroad and now have to search for a way to return home. The Israeli carriers will add flights from Athens and Israelis who wish to return to Israel must reach Greece.
The addition of flights comes after a dramatic incident when a Lufthansa flight from Munich to Tel Aviv landed Wednesday night in Larnaca, Cyprus. The passengers, who were already told before takeoff that the flight would stop in Larnaca to switch crews, were surprised to learn after landing that the airline's security department would not allow the flight to continue to Tel Aviv.
"Lufthansa Flight LH682 from Munich to Tel Aviv, which for operational reasons is operated at this stage through Larnaca, will return to Munich after landing in Larnaca at 2:43 a.m. CEST this morning, as a means of precaution due to security operations," a Lufthansa spokesperson said.
"The connecting flight from Larnaca to Tel Aviv, as well as the return flight LH683 from Tel Aviv to Munich, which was scheduled to take off today, have been canceled. All of the passengers will be offered alternate flights."
An Austrian Airlines flight from Vienna to Ben Gurion Airport turned around as well. Shortly before landing in Israel, the pilot announced that due to the situation, the plane was being redirected to refuel in Bulgaria. After that, the flight continued back to Vienna.