Lufthansa extends Tel Aviv, Tehran, Beirut flight suspensions

German airline giant Lufthansa said Friday it was extending a suspension of flights to Tel Aviv and Tehran until 2 September and to Beirut until 30 September.

Previously suspended services to Amman in Jordan and Erbil in Iraq will however resume on 27 August, with flights to the latter crossing a "northern corridor" of Iraqi airspace.

The airline previously said it was avoiding all Iraqi and Iranian airspace.

It comes amid regional tensions between Israel and Iran and Lebanese group Hezbollah, and as the war on Gaza shows no signs of ending.

Delta Air Lines said Wednesday it will extend its suspension of flights to Israel by another month, through 31 October.

"Delta is continuously monitoring the evolving security environment and assessing our operations based on security guidance and intelligence reports," the airline said in a travel advisory.

The announcement by Delta came after American Airlines extended its halt of flights between the United States and Tel Aviv through 29 March of next year. American updated an advisory on its website over the weekend.

Both airlines said that customers with tickets on flights that will now be cancelled can rebook, generally at no extra charge, or cancel their trip and get a refund.

Delta will allow customers to use its site to rebook on partner airlines El Al and Air France.

American said it will work with its partners to help customers fly between Israel and European cities that offer flights on to the United States.

El Al, Israel's national carrier, has been pressed into reducing prices to four destinations following a backlash over alleged "price gouging" after it published financial results showing it was making record profits amid the Gaza war.

The airline announced on Wednesday that ticket prices would be fixed for flights to Larnaca, a city in Cyprus, as well as Athens, Vienna, and Dubai until December, following a meeting between the company CEO and Economy Minister Nir Barakat, Israeli media reported.

"Because many foreign airlines have cancelled flights, the objective is to enable Israelis to leave the country and arrive at international airports from where they can depart to any destination in the world at affordable prices per person," the airline said in a statement reported by newspaper Haaretz.

For the rest of this year, flying return in economy to Larnaca will cost travellers $199, while Athens will set them back $299 return, and Vienna and Dubai $349.

Delta, American, and United Airlines all stopped flying to Israel shortly after the 7 October start of the Gaza war. United recently said it has suspended its service indefinitely.

Many other international airlines also stopped flying to Tel Aviv and other cities in Israel, although some later resumed them.

British Airways, Air France, Wizz Air, and flydubai are among the carriers still flying to Israel.