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North Korea, Russia Reaffirm Commitment to Partnership Accord

A handout photo made available by the Russian Foreign Ministry press service shows Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov (R) and North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui (L) during an unveiling ceremony of the plaque to mark Kim Il Sung visit to USSR in 1949, at Yaroslavsky railway station in Moscow, Russia, 01 November 2024. EPA/RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY PRESS SERVICE HANDOUT
A handout photo made available by the Russian Foreign Ministry press service shows Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov (R) and North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui (L) during an unveiling ceremony of the plaque to mark Kim Il Sung visit to USSR in 1949, at Yaroslavsky railway station in Moscow, Russia, 01 November 2024. EPA/RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY PRESS SERVICE HANDOUT
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North Korea, Russia Reaffirm Commitment to Partnership Accord

A handout photo made available by the Russian Foreign Ministry press service shows Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov (R) and North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui (L) during an unveiling ceremony of the plaque to mark Kim Il Sung visit to USSR in 1949, at Yaroslavsky railway station in Moscow, Russia, 01 November 2024. EPA/RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY PRESS SERVICE HANDOUT
A handout photo made available by the Russian Foreign Ministry press service shows Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov (R) and North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui (L) during an unveiling ceremony of the plaque to mark Kim Il Sung visit to USSR in 1949, at Yaroslavsky railway station in Moscow, Russia, 01 November 2024. EPA/RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY PRESS SERVICE HANDOUT

The foreign ministers of North Korea and Russia reaffirmed their commitment to implement provisions agreed in June between the leaders of the two nations, North Korean state media KCNA reported on Saturday.
North Korea Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui and her Russian counterpart Sergei Viktorovich Lavrov met in Moscow, amid rising concerns about Pyongyang's involvement in Moscow's war in Ukraine, Reuters said.
NATO has joined the governments of South Korea, the US and Ukraine in confirming Pyongyang's dispatch of troops to Russia, saying that North Korean military units had been deployed to Russia's Kursk region on the border with Ukraine.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in June agreed that the two countries would provide military and other assistance if either were attacked, as part of a strategic partnership accord.

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Airlines to Bring Stranded Israelis Back Home, No Outward Flights

Israel's national airline El AL aircraft is seen next to the control tower at Cyprus' main airport in Larnaca, Saturday, June 14, 2025. (AP)
Israel's national airline El AL aircraft is seen next to the control tower at Cyprus' main airport in Larnaca, Saturday, June 14, 2025. (AP)
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Airlines to Bring Stranded Israelis Back Home, No Outward Flights

Israel's national airline El AL aircraft is seen next to the control tower at Cyprus' main airport in Larnaca, Saturday, June 14, 2025. (AP)
Israel's national airline El AL aircraft is seen next to the control tower at Cyprus' main airport in Larnaca, Saturday, June 14, 2025. (AP)

Israel's airlines said on Tuesday that they had received government permission to start flights to bring back people who had been stranded abroad during the conflict with Iran.

Israel's airspace has been closed since Israel and Iran began trading attacks on Friday, stranding tens of thousands whose flights to Tel Aviv were cancelled.

El Al Airlines, Israel's flag carrier, said it expects to operate flights on Wednesday from Larnaca, Athens, Rome, Milan and Paris to bring anyone who had a cancelled El Al ticket to Israel.

There would still be no passenger flights leaving Israel, it added. El Al has cancelled all scheduled flights through June 23.

"We understand the difficulty, uncertainty and stress experienced by El Al customers abroad who are seeking to return to Israel, as well as those whose travel plans were disrupted," it said.

"The rescue flights will be operated gradually, and therefore patience is required from El Al customers abroad. We recommend preparing for extended stays and lodging arrangements."

Smaller rival Arkia said it would bring back Israelis from Karpathos in Greece, Larnaca in Cyprus and Tivat in Montenegro.

"Arkia is prepared to operate during any time window approved by the security authorities, including Fridays and Saturdays, and is working with authorities to explore expanding the rescue operation," it said.

Israir said it would operate three flights for Israelis from Larnaca and Athens and from Varna in Bulgaria on Wednesday, and hoped to offer more soon. It has cancelled both foreign and domestic flights up to June 30.

Israel's Transportation Ministry has said there are as many as 150,000 Israelis abroad, around 50,000 of them seeking to return to Israel.

El Al said that within 90 minutes of opening a portal for passengers seeking to fly home, more than 60,000 people joined an electronic queue to register.

Cruise operator Mano Maritime, whose "Crown Iris" ship carries 2,000 passengers, said it would make two crossings from Cyprus to Israel's Mediterranean port city of Haifa.

Large numbers have converged on Cyprus, the European Union member state closest to Israel. Flights from the coastal city of Larnaca to Tel Aviv take 50 minutes, and boat crossings to the Haifa take about 15 hours.

Foreign carriers have often cancelled flights during Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza, leaving El Al, Arkia and Israir to fill the gap for travelers.