Israeli planes parked in Fiumicino and Malpensa as Israel shuts Ben Gurion airport.
Israeli airlines evacuated their planes out of the country on Friday, including to Italy, after Israel launched a major attack on Iran’s nuclear and military structure overnight.
The move, which comes amid high alert for possible retaliatory strikes from Iran, was confirmed by a spokesperson for Ben Gurion Airport which remains shut until further notice.
Israel’s three main carriers – El Al, Arkia and Israir – flew the planes out without passengers.
Among the dozens of empty planes evacuated to airports abroad, four were sent to Fiumicino in Rome and two to Malpensa in Milan, according to Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera.
Israel has vowed to continue to carry out strikes on Iran, accusing Tehran of taking steps to weaponise its nuclear programme – charges denied by Iran.
The regional escalation has prompted multiple foreign airlines to cancel flights to and from Israel, effectively cutting the country off from international air travel.
Airlines avoided much of the Middle East on Friday, as Israel, Iran, Iraq, Jordan and Syria all closed their airspaces, causing travel chaos in the region.
Photo credit: Barbarajo / Shutterstock.com.
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