First rescue flight from Cyprus brings stranded Israelis home as Ben Gurion Airport still closed

Israeli airline El Al conducted its first rescue flight on Wednesday morning, bringing home Israelis stranded in Cyprus due to the ongoing war with Iran. The flight, which departed from Larnaca and landed at Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport, is part of an Israeli Transport Ministry operation to repatriate citizens affected by widespread flight cancellations.

Approximately 100,000 Israelis are currently stranded in various countries. 

Early Friday morning, Israel launched an unprecedented aerial strike – dubbed “Operation Rising Lion" – targeting Iran’s military and nuclear sites. The stated goal was to degrade the ayatollah regime’s capability to threaten the existence of the Jewish state. In response to ongoing ballistic missile attacks from Iran, the Israeli government also declared a state of emergency and closed the country’s airspace. 

Israeli Transportation and Road Safety Minister Miri Regev personally greeted the returning Israelis at Ben Gurion Airport. 

“We are waiting for all of you,” Regev told the pilot of the El Al plane. “We are very excited to receive the first rescue flight as part of the Safe Return operation, and are preparing for the airlift to repatriate all Israelis."

El Al is also planning to bring home stranded Israelis in European cities such as Athens, Milan, Paris and Rome.

Shmuel Zakai, the chief of Israel’s Civil Aviation Authority, assessed that it could take several weeks to transport all stranded Israelis back home to Jewish state. 

The Israeli airline company Arkia announced it would transport some 220 Israeli passengers on its first flight from Cyprus to Israel. In addition, the airline company reportedly intends to transport a similar number of passengers from Karpathos, Greece and Tivat, Montenegro. 

Israir, a third Israeli airline company, announced it would transport some 500 Israeli citizens on three separate flights from Larnaca, Athens and the Bulgarian city of Varna. 

The Israel Airports Authority announced that, due to the volatile security situation, it has increased airport staffing to expedite the processing of incoming flights. Authorities also aim to minimize the time arriving passengers spend at Ben Gurion Airport. To that end, taxis have been arranged for passenger pickup, and the public has been asked to avoid greeting returning Israelis at the airport.

Additionally, the Airports Authority and the Transport Ministry have expanded the number of available trains and buses to ensure faster transport from the airport.

The Iranian regime’s missiles have mainly targeted Israel’s civilian population centers. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar accused the ayatollah regime of committing war crimes against Israeli civilians. 

"You can see here the results of the Iranian war crimes. The Iranian regime is targeting civilians,” Sa’ar stated. “They are targeting only civilians! You cannot find a single soldier that is dead after their attacks."

Iran has so far fired some 400 missiles at Israel, which have claimed the lives of over 20 Israelis and wounded 600 Israelis in mainly the central and northern parts of the country.