JERUSALEM — Ten foreign airlines canceled their flights to Israel on Sunday amid escalating cross-border tensions with the Lebanese group Hezbollah.

According to Israeli public broadcaster KAN, major carriers, including Air France and the Dutch airline Transavia, have suspended their operations in Israel. Other airlines that canceled flights include Hungary's Wizz Air, Malta-based Corendon, Ethiopian Airlines, and Greece's Aegean Airlines and Universal Airlines.

Air France, which canceled its flights between Paris and Tel Aviv, was one of the few major international airlines still operating in Israel until now.

Since late July, 20 international airlines have canceled their flights to Israel, driven by growing concerns over a potential regional war in the Middle East.

On Sunday, Israeli warplanes launched over 40 airstrikes on southern Lebanon, marking the most severe attack since cross-border clashes with Hezbollah began on October 8, 2023. The Israeli army stated that the strikes aimed to prevent an impending Hezbollah attack.

In response, Hezbollah claimed it had launched hundreds of missiles and drones deep into Israel as part of the "first phase" of its retaliation for last month’s assassination of its commander Fouad Shukr in Beirut.

Since October 8, 2023, Hezbollah has engaged in daily exchanges of fire with the Israeli army across the Lebanese-Israeli border, resulting in hundreds of casualties, mostly on the Lebanese side. — Agencies