Lufthansa extends Tel Aviv flight suspension after attack

FRANKFURT, Germany: Germany’s Lufthansa airline group said on Friday it would extend its suspension of flights to and from Tel Aviv after a rocket attack struck the area of Israel’s main airport.

As a result of “the current situation” flights now will not resume until May 18, Lufthansa said, prolonging a suspension that was originally scheduled to last until May 6 and then May 11.

The group — whose carriers include Eurowings, Swiss, Austrian and Brussels Airlines — suspended its Tel Aviv flights following a May 4 rocket attack launched by Yemen’s Huthi rebels.

The attack was the first time a missile breached the perimeter of Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion International Airport.

The missile landed near an airport car park and injured six people.

The Huthis, who have repeatedly targeted Israel throughout its war with Hamas, say they are acting in solidarity with the Palestinians.

The Huthi-run Saba news agency said the airport strike was part of a response to “American aggression”.

The United States supplies the Israeli military and has launched strikes on the Huthis, considering them an Iranian-backed proxy group.

Israeli army says intercepted missile launched from Yemen

Meanwhile, Israel’s military said it intercepted a missile launched from Yemen on Friday, with AFP journalists reporting explosions heard in the Jerusalem area.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the missile fire, which follows attacks by Yemen’s Iran-backed Huthi rebels including a Sunday strike on Israel’s main airport.

The Israeli military said in a statement that “a missile launched from Yemen was intercepted” after air raid sirens sounded in several areas.

On Sunday the Iran-backed group struck the area of Israel’s Ben Gurion airport, gouging a hole near its main terminal building and injuring several people, in rare missile fire that had penetrated Israeli air defences.

Israel retaliated against the Huthis by striking the airport in Yemen’s rebel-controlled capital Sanaa on Tuesday and three nearby power stations.

Israel’s strikes, which disabled the airport, followed a US bombing campaign in response to Huthi threats to renew attacks on shipping in the region.

Yemen’s Huthis, who say they act in solidarity with Palestinians, have launched repeated attacks on Israel and shipping in the Red Sea since shortly after the October 2023 start of war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

But the United States and the Huthis reached a ceasefire agreement later on Tuesday, with mediator Oman announcing the deal to ensure “freedom of navigation” in the Red Sea.

The Huthis, who control vast swathes of territory in Yemen, vowed to continue targeting Israel and Israeli ships in the key waterway, saying that the deal with Washington does not include Israel.