Israel temporarily closed its airspace early Friday, grounding all flights to and from Ben-Gurion International Airport, following the U.S. airstrikes on Iranian nuclear sites.
The airport was scheduled to resume operations at 2 p.m., nearly 12 hours after they closed.
All four Israeli carriers, led by El Al—which had been operating repatriation flights for tens of thousands of Israelis stranded abroad—suspended service following the airspace closure, the Israel Airports Authority said. However, flights were expected to resume gradually from the afternoon into the evening.
A passenger ship from Cyprus to Israel, which departed Limassol on Saturday carrying 1,800 people, was awaiting permission to dock at Ashdod Port on Sunday morning. It was expected to be allowed entry by the afternoon.
Israel’s land crossings with Jordan and Egypt—used as alternative routes by stranded tourists and some Israeli travelers—remained open throughout the day.
Approximately 20,000 of the 150,000 Israelis stranded abroad due to the war have returned home on repatriation flights over the past four days.
Since Israel’s June 13 preemptive strike on Iran, about 40,000 others have entered via land crossings despite security warnings against such travel, and 6,500 by sea, according to figures by the Israeli Ministry of Interior.
Israel was also set to begin operating outbound flights on Monday for tens of thousands of tourists and diplomats seeking to leave the country, as well as for Israelis wishing to travel abroad. However, security officials have limited each flight to a maximum of 50 passengers.
