Ben Gurion Airport reopens after brief closure following Israeli air raid on Lebanon
Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion International Airport reopened Sunday morning after a brief suspension following an Israeli military air raid on southern Lebanon, which was described as a “preemptive strike” against Hezbollah.
The Israeli Broadcasting Corporation reported that the airport resumed normal operations after the brief suspension, with some flights redirected to nearby airports.
On Sunday morning, Israel’s Army Radio reported that the military conducted an air raid in Lebanon involving 100 warplanes, targeting more than 200 sites.
The radio, citing military sources, claimed that Hezbollah was preparing to launch hundreds of rockets and missiles at key strategic installations in central Israel around 5:00 a.m. (0200GMT).
The Israeli army’s preemptive strike began at approximately 4:30 a.m., just 30 minutes before the planned Hezbollah attack.
According to the Ben Gurion International Airport website, some flights were canceled, and others were disrupted by the temporary closure on Sunday morning.
Earlier on Sunday, Hezbollah announced that it had launched 320 rockets at Israeli military sites as part of the “first phase” of its retaliation for the assassination of its leader, Fouad Shukr, by Tel Aviv in late July.
Since October 8, 2023, Lebanon’s Hezbollah has engaged in daily exchanges of fire with the Israeli army across the Blue Line, resulting in hundreds of casualties, mostly on the Lebanese side.