Jerusalem, 5 March, 2026 (TPS-IL) — Israel began flying stranded citizens home on Thursday morning as the first two flights under Operation “Safe Return – Wings of the Lion” landed at Ben Gurion Airport, the Ministry of Transportation said.
The flights are part of a government effort led by Transportation Minister Miri Regev to return Israelis stranded abroad. Nearly 300,000 Israelis were overseas when war with Iran broke out on Saturday and Israel closed its airspace.
The first flight, operated by El Al, departed from Athens and landed in Israel carrying 170 passengers. At roughly the same time, an Israir flight from Rome arrived with another 170 passengers.
According to the Transportation Ministry, additional return flights are expected throughout the day, with planes scheduled to land approximately once an hour. The flights are being coordinated with Israel’s security agencies.
Regev and Transportation Ministry Director General Moshe Ben Zaken welcomed passengers upon arrival at the airport. Regev was also present in the control tower during the landing and spoke with the pilots who brought the passengers back to Israel.
“This is an exciting moment when we see the citizens of Israel returning home,” Regev said. “We are doing everything necessary to return every Israeli home safely. Operation ‘Wings of the Lion’ is proof of our mutual guarantee and ability to act quickly even in complex times.”
She added that the effort would continue until all Israelis seeking to return are able to do so.
Airports Authority Director General Sharon Kedmi said Ben Gurion Airport is expected to receive between 8,000 and 9,000 passengers a day. “If everything goes well, we will return all Israelis to the country within a week to ten days,” he added.
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