Israel’s flag carrier suspends Moscow flights over security concerns: Reports

Israel’s flag carrier El Al announced Thursday that it is temporarily suspending flights to Moscow over security concerns following an escalation in Ukrainian attacks inside Russian airspace.

Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth reported that El Al suspended flights on its Tel Aviv-Moscow route for the coming days “due to developments between Russia and Ukraine.”

The report cited the company as saying that “a situation assessment will be conducted next week, after which a decision will be made regarding resumption of the route.”

El Al said affected passengers will be updated and “offered a choice between various alternatives,” according to the newspaper. It did not specify when the suspension takes effect.

Yedioth Ahronoth said the decision followed “multiple Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian territory, including in the capital, Moscow,” and noted that Kyiv “bombed an oil terminal in Moscow, causing massive damage” last week.

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The suspension was driven primarily by risks from repeated Ukrainian drone attacks and the activation of Russian air defense systems, which could endanger civilian aircraft, the newspaper said.

Last week, Russian authorities said they had intercepted more than 200 Ukrainian drones across several regions, including the capital.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on June 18 that Ukraine had carried out long-range strikes against targets in Moscow, describing the attacks as “a just response” to Russian strikes on Ukrainian cities and residential areas.

Russia has continued its military operations against Ukraine since Feb. 24, 2022. Moscow says it will end the war only if Kyiv abandons its bid to join Western military alliances, a condition Ukraine rejects as unacceptable interference in its sovereign affairs.

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