Tens of thousands of Israelis found themselves unable to return to Israel on Saturday after Israel and the US launched a major joint military strike on Iran.

As Iran responded by firing missiles and drones, Israel closed its airspace until at least Monday, the Transportation Ministry said, making travel through Ben Gurion Airport and other flight hubs impossible.

Rescue flights are being planned for when Israel reopens its airspace, with El Al announcing it was putting a wide plan in place and saying that its own ticket holders will automatically be assigned seats.

Naomi Burnham, from Modi’in, had popped over to London last week with one of her four children to visit for six days with two of her kids, currently living in London, as well as her parents.

“Now we’re stuck here,” said Burnham, who is scheduled to fly back to Israel on Sunday afternoon with El Al. She spent hours on the phone Saturday with the airline, trying to link her booking with that of her son, who joined her at the last minute.

“It’s not unpleasant not to have to run to a bunker, but I want to be with my people,” said Burnham. Her son, fiancée and other family members who remained in Tel Aviv spent the day running back and forth to the bomb shelter, she said.

“It’s the anxiety of not being at home,” said Burnham. “It’s nerve-racking, and I don’t like being outside of Israel when this is going on.”

It is currently unknown how long the conflict will continue, or how long the airspace will remain closed. Travelers are advised to stay updated via the media and through their airlines regarding flight schedules once the airspace reopens,” the Transportation Ministry said in a statement.

Tens of thousands stranded

Approximately 74 incoming flights were canceled on Saturday, and another 191 on Sunday, carrying 42,000 passengers to Israel, according to a Foreign Ministry document. Of these, 35,000 are Israeli citizens.

Those numbers could balloon to 133,000 travelers, with 110,000 Israeli citizens, if the skies remain closed through Wednesday, the report estimated. In total, some 291,000 Israelis who left Israel during the past three months have not yet returned, it noted.

Meanwhile, more than 33,000 foreign tourists currently remain in the country, the report said.

In the hours immediately after the offensive was launched Saturday morning, approximately 2,100 passengers on 14 flights were diverted to alternative destinations while already in the air, according to a Foreign Ministry document. Flights from Wizz Air, flydubai, United, Delta and Azerbaijan Airlines were diverted to Athens, Larnaca, New York, Baku and Rome, the document said.

Some 140 new immigrants who were planning to arrive in Israel in the coming days were forced to........

© The Times of Israel