Midway through the flight, the Lufthansa pilot refused to land in Tel Aviv because “the crew was not ready to fly to Israel,” according to local media reports.
The plane, which was en route from Munich to Tel Aviv, landed in Cyprus, according to Israel’s Channel 12.
The airline informed passengers that the plane would land in Cyprus “for technical reasons,” and that it would then be determined whether the flight would continue to Tel Aviv, the channel reported. However, after some time on the ground in Larnaca, it was announced that the plane would return to Germany.
The passengers were told that they could disembark in Cyprus if they wished, but their luggage would remain on the plane and return to Munich.
The airline added that the plane landed in Cyprus “as a precaution due to security activity.”
Several airlines, such as Delta and United, have canceled flights to Tel Aviv airport until further notice, due to the expected escalation following the assassination of Hamas political bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh and Hezbollah military commander Fuad Shukr.
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