Turkish airlines suspend flights to Lebanon amid rising tensions

Istanbul, September 24 (IANS): Turkish airline Turkish Airlines and low-cost carrier Pegasus Airlines have cancelled their flights to and from Lebanon due to increased risks, local media reported on Tuesday.

The decision was made in response to Israeli air strikes on Lebanon, which disrupted flights to and from Beirut scheduled for Wednesday, the Xinhua news agency reported, citing the daily Haberturk.

There are currently no tickets available from Istanbul to Beirut for Wednesday on the Turkish Airlines website, but bookings for Thursday are still possible.

Due to the ongoing conflicts in the region, both airlines have limited their operations to daytime flights for security reasons for some time.

Meanwhile, Pegasus’ new policy prohibits carrying pagers or radios on flights to and from Beirut’s Rafik Hariri International Airport. “This applies to all personal bags, hand luggage and cargo. In case of violations, airport security will confiscate these,” the airline said on its website last Friday.

Last week, simultaneous pager explosions in Lebanon left more than 30 people dead and thousands injured. Following the attacks, the Israeli government announced that Israel had entered a “new phase” in its conflict with Hezbollah.