British Airways stated that it was a one-off move, but later cancelled all flights to Israel.
According to tracking website FlightAware, those on board BAW165 entered Israeli airspace from the west, and flew into the country just south of Haifa. The pilot then made an abrupt turn, and exited to the northwest. Data shows that the plane got as low as 8,000 feet before it was diverted back to the United Kingdom.
Passengers were expecting to land at TLV around 3pm IDT, however they will now find themselves back at LHR around 7pm GMT after nearly 10 hours in the air.
"Safety is always our highest priority and we've taken the decision to return our Tel Aviv flight to Heathrow," a British Airways spokesperson told the Daily Mail. While rockets were spotted near Ben Gurion, Israel's airport authority explained that they did not pose a risk to flights at the time BA165 was diverted.
While the flight made its way back to the UK, the airline cancelled all flights to Israel for the near future, echoing moves made by Wizz Air and Virgin Atlantic.
Those hoping to fly from London to Tel Aviv can still do so via Israel's flagship carrier, El Al, which has maintained operations.
On Saturday, members of Iranian-backed Palestinian terrorist group Hamas began indiscriminantly massacring Israeli civilians. In the days since, they have continued carrying out attacks, and the Israeli Defense Force has responded via launches on targets in Gaza. Over 900 people have been killed as the result of Hamas' senseless violence.
