(CNN) — A British Airways flight from London to Tel Aviv abruptly turned back shortly before landing in the Israeli city on Wednesday, prompting the airline to cancel all flights to the city due to security concerns.
Flight BA165 from London Heathrow Airport was approaching Tel Aviv’s Ben-Gurion International Airport when it was called back to the city of departure, according to the Flight Tracker website. Flight Radar 24.
British Airways confirmed to CNN that the flight was canceled shortly before landing in the northern Israeli city, which has been the target of rocket attacks amid heavy fighting between Israeli and Hamas forces.
The airline said it suspended services to and from Tel Aviv on Wednesday afternoon.
“Safety is always our priority and following the latest assessment of the situation, we will be suspending our flights to and from Tel Aviv,” he told CNN in a statement.
The airline said it was contacting customers booked to travel to or from Tel Aviv to apologize for the inconvenience and offer options including a refund or rebooking to another airline.
“We are closely monitoring the situation in the region,” he assured. British Airways has not said when flights will resume.
What are other airlines doing?
Several international airlines with connections to Tel Aviv have suspended services as the attacks escalate.
Virgin Atlantic and American Airlines, including Delta, United and American Airlines, have canceled flights or connections in recent days.
Meanwhile, several countries have mobilized special flights to evacuate their citizens from Israel.
With information from Barry Neill.
