NEW YORK, Sept 20, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - Delta Air Lines announced Thursday that it is suspending direct flights between New York and Tel Aviv through the end of the year amid rising tensions in the Middle East.

The US airline joins a host of other airlines that have cancelled or suspended flights in recent days to cities in the region including Beirut and Tehran, as fighting between Israel and Hezbollah has intensified along Israel's northern border with Lebanon.

"Delta flights between New York-JFK and Tel Aviv will be paused through Dec. 31, due to ongoing conflict in the region," the airline said in a statement. Affected customers can rebook their flights through March 1, 2025.

The suspension means Delta has now paused all direct flights between the United States and Israel until the end of the year, a spokesperson confirmed to AFP.

Following the announcement, the airline's website was still showing direct flights between New York and Tel Aviv on Thursday afternoon local time (2130 GMT) with the Israeli flag carrier El Al, with which it has a code sharing agreement.

Fears of a major war on Israel's northern border have increased after thousands of Hezbollah operatives' communication devices exploded across Lebanon, killing 37 people and wounding nearly 3,000 more across two days in an attack the Iran-backed militant group blamed on Israel.

Airlines including Air France, Lufthansa and Swiss temporarily suspended flights to Israel following the incident.