Repatriation flights start for Israelis stranded in Cyprus

NICOSIA (Reuters) -Flights took off for Israel on Wednesday from Cyprus, airport sources and web flight tracking sites showed, ferrying home Israelis stranded abroad during the conflict with Iran.

Israel's airspace has been closed since the two countries began trading attacks on Friday, stranding tens of thousands whose flights to Tel Aviv were cancelled.

Israel announced special flights for the repatriation of its nationals on Tuesday.

One flight operated by Arkia left Cyprus's Larnaca airport at 07:25 a.m. (0425 GMT) for Tel Aviv. Nine more were expected to depart Wednesday for Haifa, and four for Tel Aviv, carrying about 1,000 people, sources in airport operator Hermes said.

Israel's Transportation Ministry has said as many as 150,000 Israelis are abroad, with about a third trying to get home.

Large numbers have converged on Cyprus, the European Union member nation closest to Israel. Earlier on Wednesday, a cruise ship arrived in Cyprus carrying 1,500 participants in a Jewish heritage programme who had left Israel on Tuesday.

(Reporting by Michele Kambas; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)

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