Airlines are suspending flights from the UK to Israel amid growing fears that hostilities in the Middle East could escalate into all-out war.
BA and Wizz Air have suspended services between London and Tel Aviv, while Virgin Atlantic said the resumption of flights would be further delayed after Israel launched pre-emptive strikes on neighbouring Lebanon over the weekend.
The Israeli army has allegedly targeted “terrorist targets” in southern Lebanon against the militant Hezbollah group, claiming that it was planning an attack.
Hezbollah said it had sent a “large number of drones” to attack Israel in retaliation, part of its response to the killing of Fouad Shukur, a senior commander in the group, in an attack in Beirut’s southern suburbs last month.
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The Iran-backed militant group said the attack targeted “a high-quality Israeli military target to be announced later” as well as “a number of enemy sites and barracks, as well as Iron Dome platforms.”
BA said flights between London and Tel Aviv would be suspended “until and including Wednesday 28 August”, while Wizz Air did not give a date for resuming operations.
Virgin Atlantic, which had previously suspended its services, announced on Sunday that services between the two capitals would resume on September 25.
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In a statement, the company added: “Our teams will be in touch with everyone affected to discuss options, including rebooking for a later date or a full refund. In the meantime, customers can benefit from our partnership with EL AL, which operates several daily flights between Heathrow and Ben Gurion Airport.”
Speaking to Sky News on Sunday, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Pat McFadden (below) said he was “very concerned” about the escalation of hostilities in the Middle East.
He said: “This is a massive escalation. That is the word that is used again and again in such cases, when you think of the events between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip last year. And there is a fear of a massive escalation.”
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“Even as this plays out, the British Government and the international community call on all parties not to escalate the situation further and to avoid a wider regional war. That is the real danger facing the region.
“We hope that it does not come to that and that we can then de-escalate the situation.
“But we are very concerned about what is happening there, very concerned about the people there, and we hope that this will not lead to a long-term outbreak of serious hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah.”
