A number of major international airlines, including Germany’s Lufthansa Group and Spain’s Air Europa, have suspended all flights to and from Tel Aviv following a ballistic missile attack launched from Yemen that targeted areas near the Israeli entity’s main international hub, Ben Gurion Airport.

The missile strike, which occurred Sunday, prompted immediate disruptions at Ben Gurion Airport, with all takeoffs and landings temporarily halted just minutes before the missile entered Israeli airspace. Despite the Israeli military's efforts, the missile was not intercepted and penetrated air defense layers, triggering widespread alarm and prompting a rapid suspension of air traffic.

Lufthansa Group — which includes SWISS, Austrian Airlines, and Brussels Airlines — confirmed via its official website that all flights to and from Tel Aviv were canceled for the day. The move reflects growing concerns about the safety of civilian air routes in light of escalating regional tensions and the expanding reach of Yemen’s retaliatory strikes.

Spanish airline Air Europa and other carriers such as Air India and Italy’s ITA Airways also announced the cancellation of their scheduled flights to the Israeli entity, citing the missile threat and operational risk as primary reasons.

According to Israeli media, air traffic resumed roughly an hour after the incident, with Ben Gurion Airport reopening once authorities deemed the immediate threat had passed. Nonetheless, the disruption marks one of the most significant escalations in the airspace over the Israeli entity since the outbreak of hostilities involving Yemen's Armed Forces in support of Gaza.

Yemen has vowed continued military operations in solidarity with the Palestinian people, particularly in response to Israel’s ongoing genocide and blockade of Gaza. The targeting of Ben Gurion Airport by a ballistic missile demonstrates a new phase in the regional resistance axis’s capabilities and intent to strike at critical infrastructure within the Israeli entity.

The missile strike and subsequent airspace shutdown come amid mounting global concern over the widening scope of the conflict and its implications for commercial aviation and regional stability. (ILKHA)