Some flights out of Israel delayed or cancelled after strikes in Lebanon

Some flights were cancelled or delayed at Ben Gurion airport on Sunday after Israel launched a wave of airstrikes across southern Lebanon in what it called a pre-emptive strike on Hezbollah.

The militant group responded that it had launched hundreds of rockets and drones to avenge the killing of one of its top commanders last month.

By mid-morning, it appeared that the exchange had ended, with both sides having confined their attacks to military targets. .

During the exchange, air raid sirens were reported throughout northern Israel, and Israel's Ben Gurion international airport closed and diverted flights for approximately an hour due to the threat of attack.

Flights from the airport were slowly resuming on Sunday afternoon although many were delayed and some passengers said they had not been told when their flights might depart.

Hezbollah began attacking Israel almost immediately after the start of the war in Gaza, which was triggered by Hamas' Oct. 7 attack into Israel.

Israel and Hezbollah have been exchanging fire almost daily, displacing tens of thousands of people on both sides of the border.

Sunday's heavy exchange of fire does not appear to have ignited a long-feared war, but the situation remains tense.

Meanwhile, Egypt on Sunday is hosting high-level talks aimed at brokering a cease-fire in the 10-month-old Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, which diplomats hope will tamp down regional tensions.