European airlines extend suspension of Middle East flights

Top European airlines Lufthansa, KLM and Swiss on Tuesday announced that they were extending their suspension of flights to the Middle East, as tensions spiral throughout the region.

The moves come as Israel launched strikes on Beirut and a senior White House official warned that Iran was preparing to launch a ballistic missile attack "imminently" against Israel.

KLM has pushed out until the end of the year the suspension of its once-daily flight to Tel Aviv "given the situation in the region", spokeswoman Elvira van der Vis told AFP.

The Dutch airline had already announced in August that it was suspending flights to Israel until October 26.

Also on Tuesday, German airline group Lufthansa said it was suspending flights to Beirut up to and including November 30.

Lufthansa group flights to Tel Aviv will be cancelled until October 31 while trips to Tehran remain cancelled until October 14.

"We regret the inconvenience caused to our passengers," the group said.

Later on Tuesday the Lufthansa group said that it had also decided to "avoid Iranian, Iraqi and Jordanian airspace up to and including 2 October", adding that "flights will continue to avoid Israeli airspace up to and including 31 October".

The Lufthansa group -- whose carriers also include Swiss International Air Lines, Austrian Airlines and Brussels Airlines -- has repeatedly modified its flight schedule in recent months due to heightened tensions in the Middle East, as have other airlines.

Following the example of its parent company, Swiss said the extension of its flight suspensions was "intended to provide more predictability for both our passengers and our crews".

The Israeli army said it had launched a ground offensive in Lebanon and that its forces engaged in clashes on Tuesday, further escalating the conflict after a week of intense air strikes that killed hundreds.

Meanwhile, a senior White House official told AFP on condition of anonymity that the United States has indications that Iran was preparing to launch a missile attack against Israel "imminently".

"We are actively supporting defensive preparations to defend Israel against this attack," the official said, warning that such an action would "carry severe consequences for Iran".

burs-ric/bc