Jordan’s flag carrier suspends flights to Beirut in response to Hezbollah attack on Israel

Iran, which has also pledged revenge for the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran last month, has yet to initiate a major retaliatory attack.  

 Planes that belong to the Royal Jordanian Airlines and other companies are parked at the Queen Alia International Airport in Amman, Jordan February 23, 2020. (photo credit: REUTERS/MUHAMMAD HAMED)
Planes that belong to the Royal Jordanian Airlines and other companies are parked at the Queen Alia International Airport in Amman, Jordan February 23, 2020.
(photo credit: REUTERS/MUHAMMAD HAMED)

Jordan's national airline, Royal Jordanian, suspended flights to Beirut on Sunday due to "the current circumstances," according to the state news agency Petra.  

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The announcement follows the most recent escalation of hostilities after Lebanese Hezbollah launched a massive aerial assault against Israel early Sunday. The powerful Iran-aligned militia claims to have launched at least 320 Katyusha rockets and used a large number of drones as part of its response to the Israeli assassination of senior commander Fuad Shukr in Beirut on July 30.  

Iran, which has also pledged revenge for the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran last month, has yet to initiate a major retaliatory attack.  

Shortly before Hezbollah launched the attacks, the Israeli military confirmed that its jets targeted locations in Lebanon. 

Constant strikes for 11 months

Hezbollah and Israel have traded nearly daily cross-border strikes over the 11 months since war broke out in Gaza following Hamas’ October 7 attack.

 People walk outside Beirut-Rafic Hariri International Airport, in Beirut, Lebanon August 26, 2024. (credit: REUTERS/AHMED SAAD)
People walk outside Beirut-Rafic Hariri International Airport, in Beirut, Lebanon August 26, 2024. (credit: REUTERS/AHMED SAAD)

The head of Jordan's civil aviation commission confirmed that Jordanian airspace is still operating normally. 

The duration of the flight suspension between the two cities was unclear. 

Royal Jordanian is the country's largest airline and typically operates about 16 nonstop weekly flights from the kingdom's capital, Amman, to Beirut.