United, Delta suspending flights to and from Tel Aviv amid rising tensions

United Airlines and Delta Airlines said Wednesday they are suspending daily flights to and from Israel, citing security concerns amid rising tensions in the Middle East.

The decisions came in the wake of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh's assassination in Iran's capital after he attending the inauguration of the country's new president. Iran blamed Israel for the strike, with its foreign ministry saying the U.S. also bears responsibility as Israel's biggest ally.

United had resumed direct flights between the U.S. and Tel Aviv in June, following a decision last year to suspend flights in the wake of the October 7 Hamas attack in Israel.

"Beginning with this evening's flight from Newark Liberty to Tel Aviv, we are suspending for security reasons our daily Tel Aviv service as we evaluate our next steps," United said in a statement on Wednesday. "We continue to closely monitor the situation and will make decisions on resuming service with a focus on the safety of our customers and crews."

Delta said in a statement that its flights between New York's JFK International Airport and Tel Aviv "will be paused through Friday, Aug. 2, due to ongoing conflict in the region. ... Seats on Delta partner airlines Air France and EL AL Israel Airlines remain bookable on delta.com and through Delta Reservations when available.

"Delta is continuously monitoring the evolving security environment and assessing our operations based on security guidance and intelligence reports and will communicate any updates as needed.

"A travel waiver has been issued for all customers who booked travel to/from TLV before Aug. 14, 2024."

British Airways told CBS News it's still operating flights to and from Tel Aviv and that it hasn't canceled any flights "at this time."

If a flight is canceled or significantly delayed, airlines must refund passengers "promptly," according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. The agency defines "prompt" as within seven business days if a ticket was purchased using a credit card, and within 20 days if a customer used cash or a check.

—With reporting by CBS News' Kathryn Krupnik.