“Air France, British Airways, Lufthansa, KLM, and other international carriers have started cancelling flights tonight and over the weekend to and from Israel, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates, citing the ‘security situation’ in the Middle East,” OSINTdefender mentioned in a post on X.
Air France, British Airways, Lufthansa, KLM, and other international carriers have started cancelling flights tonight and over the weekend to and from Israel, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates, citing the “security situation” in the Middle East. pic.twitter.com/reeXpWNlef
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) January 23, 2026
Air France has cancelled flights between Paris and Dubai on Friday and Saturday, temporarily stopping service to the emirate. Bloomberg reports that the airline’s decision was made “due to the current situation in the Middle East.”
KLM, part of the Air France-KLM group, has suspended flights to Dubai, Riyadh, and Dammam in Saudi Arabia, as well as Tel Aviv, until further notice. Additionally, United Airlines and Air Canada have ceased flights to Israel amid heightened speculation regarding U.S. military action against Iran.
This development coincides with the U.S. increasing its military presence around Iran as fears of war escalate. In a message to Iran’s leadership, President Donald Trump announced that a ‘massive’ naval force was heading toward the region.
On Thursday, he stated to reporters on Air Force One, “We have an armada. We have a massive fleet heading in that direction, and maybe we won’t have to use it,” as reported by Newsweek.
Neither the European nor Israeli aviation authorities have issued specific security alerts. On Friday, the Israel Defence Forces confirmed that their military recommendations for Israeli citizens remain unchanged.
In a post on X, IDF Spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin stated, “Ahead of Shabbat, I want to say to all Israeli citizens—the IDF is optimally prepared for both defense and offense. It’s important to emphasize that there is no change in the Home Front Command guidelines; we will update you if there is any change.”
מסכמים עוד שבוע עצים של לחימה ושיפור המוכנות בכלל הזירות.
השבוע, צה״ל תקף בכל הגזרות – תקפנו מחבלים מארגון הטרור חיזבאללה בלבנון, פתחנו במבצע למיגור טרור בחטיבה המרחבית ׳יהודה׳, תקפנו מחבלים שהפרו את הסכם הפסקת האש ברצועת עזה והמשכנו את מאמצי האכיפה בכל הגזרות.השבוע ביקר…
— דובר צה״ל אפי דפרין – Effie Defrin (@IDFSpokesperson) January 23, 2026
Meanwhile, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has accused the United States of plotting against the Iranian government and supporting the demonstrators. In a post on X, he stated, “We do not intend to lead the country toward war. However, we will not simply overlook the criminals inside the country either. Worse than the internal criminals are the international criminals! We will not let them go unpunished.”
