UAE’s flag carrier Etihad Airways cancels flight to Beirut amid escalating Israel-Hezbollah tensions
Flights to Lebanon departing on Tuesday have been cancelled
Dubai: UAE flag carrier Etihad Airways said late Monday that it has cancelled its services to and from Beirut for Tuesday, September 24, in response to ongoing regional developments.
“Flights affected are EY535 from Abu Dhabi to Beirut (BEY) and EY538 from Beirut to Abu Dhabi,” the airline said in a statement to Gulf News.
“Guests booked on these services are being assisted with their travel arrangements. Etihad is monitoring the situation across the region and continues to maintain close contact with authorities,” an airline spokesperson said.
The airline said the safety of its passengers and crew is its number one priority. “We regret any inconvenience caused by this cancellation,” it said.
Gulf News has contacted other UAE and regional carriers for details on their flight statuses to Beirut.
Lebanese Health Minister Firass Abiad said the death toll in Israeli strikes Monday rose to 274, including 21 children, the bloodiest daily toll in nearly a year of cross-border clashes.
The toll stood at “274 dead including 21 children and 39 women - that’s who we know about until now”, Abiad told reporters, adding “thousands of families from the targeted areas have been displaced”.
Meanwhile, Israeli military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari told people in Lebanon to avoid potential targets linked to Hezbollah as strikes would “go on for the near future”. Hagari said Israel’s military “will engage in (more) extensive and precise strikes against terror targets which have been embedded widely throughout Lebanon”.
World powers have implored Israel and Hezbollah to pull back from the brink of all-out war, with the focus of violence shifting sharply in recent days from Israel’s southern front with Gaza to its northern border with Lebanon.