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Air France Extends Beirut Flight Suspension Until Sunday

This combination of pictures created on August 03, 2024 shows a Transavia Boeing 737-800 parked on the tarmac at Paris Orly airport on June 26, 2020 and Air France planes parked during an Air France pilots strike on the tarmac of Charles de Gaulle airport in Roissy on September 24, 2014. (Photo by ERIC PIERMONT and STEPHANE DE SAKUTIN / AFP)
This combination of pictures created on August 03, 2024 shows a Transavia Boeing 737-800 parked on the tarmac at Paris Orly airport on June 26, 2020 and Air France planes parked during an Air France pilots strike on the tarmac of Charles de Gaulle airport in Roissy on September 24, 2014. (Photo by ERIC PIERMONT and STEPHANE DE SAKUTIN / AFP)
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Air France Extends Beirut Flight Suspension Until Sunday

This combination of pictures created on August 03, 2024 shows a Transavia Boeing 737-800 parked on the tarmac at Paris Orly airport on June 26, 2020 and Air France planes parked during an Air France pilots strike on the tarmac of Charles de Gaulle airport in Roissy on September 24, 2014. (Photo by ERIC PIERMONT and STEPHANE DE SAKUTIN / AFP)
This combination of pictures created on August 03, 2024 shows a Transavia Boeing 737-800 parked on the tarmac at Paris Orly airport on June 26, 2020 and Air France planes parked during an Air France pilots strike on the tarmac of Charles de Gaulle airport in Roissy on September 24, 2014. (Photo by ERIC PIERMONT and STEPHANE DE SAKUTIN / AFP)

Air France has extended the suspension of flights between Paris and Beirut until at least Sunday "due to the security situation" in Lebanon.

Air France and its low-cost subsidiary, Transavia, have halted flights to the Lebanese capital since July 29 after Israel vowed to retaliate following rocket fire from Lebanon that killed 12 people in the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights.

Transavia has also extended the flight suspension until Sunday.

"The resumption of operations will be subject to a further assessment of the local situation," Air France said in a notice on its website posted late Wednesday, AFP reported.

"Air France reiterates that the safety of its customers and crews is its top priority," it said.

Other airlines have also stopped flights to Beirut.

Tensions have soared further in the past week as Iran and its allies vowed revenge for the high-profile killings of Hezbollah's top military commander Fuad Shukr in Lebanon and Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Iran, both blamed on Israel.

Hezbollah has been exchanging near-daily fire with Israeli forces across the border between Lebanon and Israel.

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Lebanon Would Struggle to Cover 'Fraction' of Aid Needs in War With Israel, Minister Says

A general view of Beirut, Lebanon August 6, 2024. REUTERS/Emilie Madi
A general view of Beirut, Lebanon August 6, 2024. REUTERS/Emilie Madi
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Lebanon Would Struggle to Cover 'Fraction' of Aid Needs in War With Israel, Minister Says

A general view of Beirut, Lebanon August 6, 2024. REUTERS/Emilie Madi
A general view of Beirut, Lebanon August 6, 2024. REUTERS/Emilie Madi

Lebanon would struggle to meet even a fraction of its aid needs if full-scale war with Israel erupts, a senior official said, as it seeks increased donor support amid persistent border clashes.
Nasser Yassin, the minister overseeing contingency planning for a wider conflict, told Reuters Lebanon would need $100 million monthly for food, shelter, healthcare and other needs in a worst-case scenario.
"A small fraction, even 10 to 15 percent of that, would be huge for the government. We will need donors to step up," Yassin said.
International aid is already falling short. Lebanon has received only a third of the $74 million sought over the course of the 10-month conflict between Iran-backed Hezbollah and Israel.
"Humanitarian funding in many places has been reduced to a minimal level of just keeping heads above water. Some organizations are even slashing funding for critical life-saving matters," Yassin added.
Lebanon's state, hollowed out by a five-year economic crisis left to fester by ruling elites, struggled to provide basic services even before the current conflict began alongside the Gaza war.
Nearly 100,000 Lebanese, mainly from the south, have been displaced, as well as more than 60,000 Israelis, according to official figures.
While Israel houses its displaced in government-funded accommodation, Lebanon relies on ill-equipped public schools or informal arrangements such as staying with family or friends.
An Aug. 7 government document seen by Reuters outlines two scenarios other than the conflict remaining at its current levels.
A "controlled conflict" displacing 250,000 people, requiring $50 million in monthly funding for three months.
An "uncontrolled conflict" displacing 1 million or more, needing $100 million monthly for three months.
The document emphasizes the urgent need for additional resources, noting current stocks and shelter capacity are "far from adequate".
"Additional resources are urgently needed to respond to ongoing needs and to prepare and respond to increasing needs in event of escalation," it says.
Yassin said Lebanon's food supply would last four to five months under an Israeli blockade similar to the 2006 war.
However, diesel supplies would last only about five weeks - a concern given the country's reliance on generators to power everything from hospitals and bakeries to the internet due to limited availability of state electricity.