Swiss airline suspends flights to Israel, Lufthansa cancels some

The airline Swiss, a Lufthansa subsidiary, has said it is suspending its flights to Israel from Saturday evening until further notice, citing security concerns, reported dpa.

The announcement comes hours after the Palestinian militant organization Hamas fired 2,200 rockets into Israel, prompting the country to retaliate with reprisals and a declaration of war.

Swiss said that two flights from Zurich to Tel Aviv and back were still due to take off in the afternoon before the suspension takes effect, depending on the situation.

Its parent company Lufthansa said it is reducing flights to Israel this Saturday "against the backdrop of the current security situation in Tel Aviv." It did not provide additional details or say which flights would be cancelled.

On the homepage of Frankfurt airport, Lufthansa's two planned departures to Tel Aviv were shown as cancelled on Saturday.

Back in Switzerland, the Foreign Ministry issued a travel advisory recommending against trips to Israel.

"Until the situation is clarified, tourist and other non-urgent travel to Israel is advised against", it posted on its website on Saturday. "A deterioration of the security situation cannot be ruled out."

It said those already there should minimize travel within the country.

The Swiss government condemned the attacks. "We call for an immediate end to the violence," the Foreign Ministry wrote on the platform X, formerly Twitter.