EgyptAir Resumes Flights to Benghazi

An EgyptAir plane (Asharq Al-Awsat)
An EgyptAir plane (Asharq Al-Awsat)
TT

EgyptAir Resumes Flights to Benghazi

An EgyptAir plane (Asharq Al-Awsat)
An EgyptAir plane (Asharq Al-Awsat)

EgyptAir announced that it would operate daily direct flights between Cairo and the Libyan city of Benghazi starting on 18 April this year, after an 11-year suspension due to the deteriorating security situation following the "revolution" that ousted the late President Muammar Gaddafi.

The Libyan authorities allowed the resumption of flights to Libya from Cairo International Airport after flights were limited to Burj al-Arab Airport in Alexandria.

The decision coincided with the visit of the Prime Minister of the Libyan Government of National Unity Abdelhamid Dbeibeh to Cairo, during which several agreements.

EgyptAir said in a statement that the flight to Benghazi is part of its keenness to boost its presence in Africa and in line with the Egyptian Ministry of Civil Aviation's vision to bolster its presence in Africa.

A daily fight will be operated between Cairo and Benghazi via modern Boeing 737-800 aircraft, said the statement.

The company chairman, Amr Abu el-Enein, said the Egyptian flag carrier gives special importance to the strategic points, including Benghazi, to serve Egyptian expatriates and increase trade exchange between the two countries.

Abu el-Enien added that the airline would operate Boeing 737-800 flights between Cairo and Benghazi daily.

The company urged its clients to reserve their tickets by contacting its customer service center on 1717, accredited tour operators, or its website for reservations.



US Defers Removal of Some Lebanese, Citing Israel-Hezbollah Tensions

Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)
Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)
TT

US Defers Removal of Some Lebanese, Citing Israel-Hezbollah Tensions

Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)
Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)

The United States is deferring the removal of certain Lebanese citizens from the country, President Joe Biden said on Friday, citing humanitarian conditions in southern Lebanon amid tensions between Israel and Hezbollah.

The deferred designation, which lasts 18 months, allows Lebanese citizens to remain in the country with the right to work, according to a memorandum Biden sent to the Department of Homeland Security.

"Humanitarian conditions in southern Lebanon have significantly deteriorated due to tensions between Hezbollah and Israel," Biden said in the memo.

"While I remain focused on de-escalating the situation and improving humanitarian conditions, many civilians remain in danger; therefore, I am directing the deferral of removal of certain Lebanese nationals who are present in the United States."

Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah have been trading fire since Hezbollah announced a "support front" with Palestinians shortly after its ally Hamas attacked southern Israeli border communities on Oct. 7, triggering Israel's military assault in Gaza.

The fighting in Lebanon has killed more than 100 civilians and more than 300 Hezbollah fighters, according to a Reuters tally, and led to levels of destruction in Lebanese border towns and villages not seen since the 2006 Israel-Lebanon war.

On the Israeli side, 10 Israeli civilians, a foreign agricultural worker and 20 Israeli soldiers have been killed. Tens of thousands have been evacuated from both sides of the border.