Air India suspends all flights to and from Israel indefinitely as Middle East tensions skyrocket

Air India on August 9 alerted that it is suspending operations to and from Tel Aviv, Israel, till further notice amid a massive spike in geopolitical tensions in the region. Earlier, the airline had announced halting flight operations to Israel till August 8 after tensions spiked following the assassination of a top Hamas leader.

“In view of the current situation in parts of the Middle East, scheduled operation of our flights to and from Tel Aviv are suspended with immediate effect until further notice. We are continuously monitoring the situation and are offering a full refund to our passengers with confirmed bookings for travel to and from Tel Aviv. Safety of our guests and crew remains our topmost priority,” a post from the airline on X (fromally Twitter) read.

Tensions remain high in the Middle East amid conflict between Israel and various groups. Earlier this year also, Air India had briefly suspended flights to Tel Aviv at different points of time due to the Middle East tensions.

After nearly five months, the carrier had recommenced the services to the Israeli city on March 3.

Several international airlines have cancelled, or reduced, flights to and from Tel Aviv followed by the threat of a multi-front war in the Middle East due to Iran-Israel tension and war in Gaza, which has impacted neighbouring countries like Syria, Lebanon, Egypt and Jordan.

Tensions in the Middle East have skyrocketed after Iran and the Hamas, with the Hezbollah, vowed revenge for the assassination of their leaders, which they have on Israel.

Israel is alleged to have assassinated Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran in Iran, hours after reportedly killing Hezbollah’s military chief Fuad Shukr in Beirut in Lebanon.