More intl' airlines halt 'Israel' flights as Iran, Axis response nears

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
3 Aug 2024 02:35

Axios reports that the United States expects the military response to take place in the next few days.

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Passengers wait at Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv as flights are canceled following the launch of Al-Aqsa Flood Operation by Palestinian Resistance Hamas on October 7, 2023 (AFP)

In light of the aniticpated response by Iran and the Resistance Axis against "Israel," several international airlines announced on Friday evening suspending their flights to Tel Aviv.

Among the latest to cancel flights are Hungary's Wizz Air, Latvia's airBaltic, and Ethiopian Airlines. Additionally, Greece’s Aegean Airlines, Poland’s LOT, Italy’s ITA Airways, and the Netherlands’ KLM have all ceased operations to the occupation entity as of Friday.

These airlines join a list of major carriers, including United, Delta, and Lufthansa Group, which have already halted their flights to "Israel" over the past two days. Specific durations of these suspensions vary, with KLM and Aegean canceling flights until August 6, LOT until August 9, and ITA extending its suspension until October 26.

This widespread disruption affects at least 15 airlines, leaving an estimated 20,000 Israelis stuck abroad.

In a recent incident, passengers in Prague, scheduled to go to "Israel" on Wednesday with Arkia, found themselves grounded as the foreign crew refused to fly to the entity for security reasons.

US bolsters military deployments

In the past two weeks, the Israeli regime has assassinated two high-ranking Resistance leaders and carried out an air aggression on Yemen.

Hamas' Politburo chief Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated in Tehran on Wednesday while on an official visit. Less than 12 hours later, "Israel" assassinated a Hezbollah top military leader, Sayyed Mohsen Shokor, in an airstrike on Beirut, which also resulted in the martyrdom of Iranian military advisor Milad Bidi and five civilians - three women and two children. The Israeli regime also conducted an airstrike on Yemen's Ras Kathib power station located in the Hodeidah port, leading to the martyrdom of six civil servants.

Earlier today, Pentagon said that US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has ordered the deployment of additional naval warships, fighter jets, and anti-ballistic missile defense systems in the Middle East in anticipation of the Iranian and Resistance Axis response to the recent Israeli assassinations and aggressions.

Austin also ordered additional ballistic missile defense-capable cruisers and destroyers to the US European Command and US Central Command regions, and increased readiness to deploy additional land-based ballistic missile defense, the statement added.

"These posture adjustments add to the broad range of capabilities the U.S. military maintains in the region, including the USS WASP Amphibious Ready Group / Marine Expeditionary Unit (ARG/MEU) operating in the Eastern Mediterranean," with over 4,500 Sailors and Marines onboard across the force.

'Very hard to replicate'

Citing several US officials, Axios reported on Thursday that Iran's attack is expected to be larger but similar in nature to that back in April, which came in response to the Israeli attack on the Islamic Republic's consulate in Syria and could also involve Hezbollah.

The US, UK, and France along with several regional countries joined efforts, both military and intelligence, to repel Iran's April operation consisting of some 300 drones and missiles launched at "Israel". According to estimations then, the few-hours interception operations cost over $1 billion.

Read more: US officials doubt 'Israel', allies, ready to face Iranian retaliation

Following the Iranian, a senior US official told Axios then that it will be "very hard to replicate the huge success" of intercepting the Iranian drones and missiles "and the Israelis know it."

According to Axios, President Joe Biden's administration today fears that it may be more difficult to form the same coalition to protect "Israel," since the Iranian retaliation for the assassination of Haniyeh is part of the ongoing Israeli war on Gaza, which resulted in the growing of opposition to "Israel" in the region.