Occupied Jerusalem – Israel has lived one of the most tense moments since its foundation in 1948 after Nakba of the Palestinian peopleWith an unprecedented military escalation against Iran, an Iranian counter -missile attack was met by the Israeli government to take a dramatic step in the full closure of its air field and Ben Gurion Airport, and to impose severe restrictions on air and land.
This decision was not the result of the moment, but rather the result of the most famous of the secret and intense planning, as revealed by Israeli reports in the forefront of which was a report by the newspaper “Globes”, which unveiled the “Air Shield” operation, which was carried out just minutes before the start of the Israeli attack.
At a time when Israeli aircraft changed the Iranian depth, thousands of civilian aircraft were leaving Ben Gurion Airport Amidst strict media blackout, and with direct security supervision, fearing the airport will become a target of long -range Iranian missiles or drones.
With the implementation of the closure, about 10,000 passengers were evacuated from the airport, Israeli aircraft were evacuated from the runways, and were transferred to airports in Europe in anticipation of any direct missile attack that might affect the air infrastructure in Israel.
Although the security decision was considered “successful” from the point of view of the official authorities, it revealed the fragility of the Israeli home front, and launched a wave of anxiety and questions between the Israelis at home and abroad, especially those who are stuck abroad after the border suddenly closed.
With the continued Iranian missiles .. Ben Gurion Airport is fully deserted after the movement of flight in Israel pic.twitter.com/AM8wjpyoSI
Al -Jazeera channel (@AjArabic) June 16, 2025
The “safe return” plan
As the flight stopped completely, more than 150,000 Israelis found themselves stuck in various destinations around the world, from Bangkok to New York, without the ability to return and amid confusion in information and scarcity of solutions.
In the face of this reality, Minister of Communications Miri Regev, in cooperation with the Ministry of Defense and the security services, announced the launch of an emergency plan under the title “safe return” to restore the Israelis stranded abroad through special trips from major destinations such as Athens, Larnka, Bangkuk, Roma and New York.
Although this step is welcomed, the plan is still limited, as it states that only two trips per hour are allowed, and in daylight hours, with a constant closure in front of the Israelis to travel abroad.
“We will not allow the Israelis to leave at this stage, and the priority is to return citizens from abroad only … We are not in a position that allows us to risk the lives of 300 passengers on one plane that may target,” said the priority to return citizens from abroad …
Alternative ways to escape
In light of the complexities of the atmosphere, a number of Israelis began searching for alternative roads. Ports like Marina Herzliya have turned into marine starting points, which saw an unfamiliar crowd of families that drag their bags in search of a way out to Cyprus. Some of them told the Haaretz newspaper that they “fled from the missiles”, in a scene remembered by the emergency times and existential wars.
According to Haaretz, the “Mano Cruz” company responded to the invitations, and obtained a special exemption from the orders of the internal front, to start conducting cruises to transport the Israelis from Cyprus to the country, while the Ministry of Communications is still considering using military landing to transport citizens, despite the operational complications.
As a parallel precaution, the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs closed a number of its embassies abroad and suspended consular services, in reference to estimates that the confrontation with Iran may be prolonged, and that Israeli interests around the world may become targets.
Indoor front
Anxiety does not stop at the boundaries of the movement, says a kind of Yimona, a reporter of the Hitters newspaper, as the intelligence estimates that are pushing for a complete closure express a real fear of targeting the symbols of national sovereignty, headed by the airport, which raises growing concerns that this crisis will turn into a milestone that pushes tens of thousands of Israelis to think about collective immigration, especially those with double nationalities.
While the Israeli government confirms that the closure is temporary and linked to the security situation, the Israeli journalist adds, “The absence of a timetable for reopening the atmosphere, and the global scene of Ben Gurion’s airport free of aircraft, is the impression that the situation is more possible than the release.”
She explained that what is happening is not just a technical decision to close an airport, but rather an expression of a national crisis that transcends military security to psychological and political security, and shows the size of the fragility of the Israeli home front when it is placed under the pressure of regional threats.
She pointed out that the current evacuation, whether through the air or the sea, is no longer merely a technical saving, but rather an indication of a wide turmoil in the structure of national security, and it may reshape the relationship between the state and its citizens at home and abroad in wartime.
In an unprecedented historical event, the first time that Ben Gurion Airport was closed until further notice, and the entire air fleet of the Israeli company was transferred to Larnaca and Athens .. Details of economic losses through the interactive screen with Suhaib Al -Asa#News pic.twitter.com/GJc8DtNEp4
Al -Jazeera channel (@AjArabic) June 14, 2025
The citizen is a hostage of war
“The state robbed its citizens the right to flee,” under this title, Amir Zeef, deputy editor -in -chief of the newspaper “Calclest”, wrote an article in which the Israeli authorities’ decision to close Ben Gurion and the air crossings, in conjunction with the start of the Israeli attack on Tehran.
Suddenly, without warning, Zif says, “The Israelis have lost their natural right to leave the country.” There is no opportunity to think or decision, just complete the sky, without exceptions or a timetable for the opening. Even the sea is no longer an option, except for those who have a yacht and take permission in advance.
Although Israel has maintained the work of its airport during previous wars, including the day of forgiveness and the Gulf war, Zeef adds, “This time it completely closed the horizon, as if people have no right to escape or search for safety.” There is no need for collective recruitment, nor land fighting, yet citizens were asked to stay in homes, as if they were soldiers without an order of recruitment.
Failure
He explained that Israel turned its civilians into silent tools in the war machine. “They only have to survive, while heavy missiles fall and destroy the neighborhoods, and they ask them for patience and thanks for the warning against Iranian missile attacks.”
He pointed out that daily life paralyzed, transportation is almost suspended, schools are closed, clinics are empty, and basic care is absent. There is no clear plan, nor a real civil response. He said, “As if the state surrendered to the idea that the nightmare is the normal situation.”
He concluded, “We live in a double loss, no escape from the war, nor a normal life under it. The government requests obedience and fear without clarification or horizon. Freedom of movement, travel and symbolic objection to the reality of war were quietly stolen. Even if it was called a war of survival, Israel’s history is full of failed scenarios, some of which are signed by Benjamin Netanyahu, which is required for war crimes in Gaza, itself.”