Airports in Israel, Iran and Iraq were hit as the countries closed their airspace following Israeli airstrikes on Tehran, Bloomberg reported today.
Indian airline Air India said its Delhi-Tel Aviv flight was diverted to Mumbai amid the closure of Israeli airspace, Reuters reported. It also quoted carrier IndiGo as saying the airline is “closely following regional updates” regarding Iran and its airspace.
The United States and Israel are conducting “major” joint “combat operations” in Tehran, US President Donald Trump said today. This comes at a time of escalating tensions between the countries and after Trump has built up his military in the region.
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government said the strikes were “preemptive,” the Bloomberg report added.
Over the past two years, airspace over the Middle East has been closed several times due to escalating tensions and attacks in the region, the report said. To avoid crossfire, airlines were forced to cancel profitable routes and spend more on jet fuel as they diverted services to safer skies.
Israel closes airspace
According to a Bloomberg report, Israel’s Ministry of Transport said it closed its airspace and asked citizens to stay at airports on Saturday (February 28) following the security development.
Israel’s Airports Authority said the country’s airspace “as soon as the security situation permits,” Reuters reported. The Department of Transportation added that it would notify passengers 24 hours before resuming flights, according to Bloomberg.
Iran has closed its airspace due to strikes from Israel
The AP reported that Iran’s government also closed its airspace following the attacks.
The strikes come even as tensions between the U.S. and Iran run consistently high amid negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program. And while both sides have said talks are ongoing, Trump has built up a heavy military presence in the Middle East, including a second wave of aircraft carriers into Israeli waters.
Iraq closed its airspace when Israel attacked Iran
The Reuters report added that Iraq’s transport ministry said on Saturday that it had also closed its national airspace following Israel’s “preemptive strike” against Iran.
The Bloomberg report further noted that a similar situation occurred last year, after Israel struck Qatar and surrounding countries closed their airspace, causing confusion for international airlines. Tens of thousands of passengers in the region were stranded and operations at Doha airport were thrown into chaos.
- A FlyDubai spokesman told Reuters that some flights were affected by the closure of airspace over Iran, Iraq and Israel.
- In a video posted on social media, Trump confirmed the strikes, saying: “Our goal is to defend the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime.
- He claimed that Iran was continuing to develop its nuclear program and planned to develop missiles that could reach the US.
- The AP said the first strike occurred near the offices of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and smoke could be seen rising from the capital. However, it could not be confirmed whether the 86-year-old Khamenei was in his building at the time.
(With input from agencies)
