The situation in the Middle East now is on alert for Iranian retaliation for a suspected Israeli air strike on Iran’s embassy in Syria.
Moreover, The German airline Lufthansa (LHAG.DE) on Thursday extended the suspension of its flights to Tehran, according to Reuters.
An Iranian news agency initially reported on social media that Tehran’s airspace was closed for military drills but later retracted the statement, denying its issuance.
Since April 1, when Israeli warplanes were suspected of bombing the Iranian embassy compound in Syria, both the region and the United States have been on alert for a potential retaliatory attack by Iran.
Lufthansa announced on Thursday the suspension of flights to and from Tehran until April 13, extending the suspension by two days. This decision was made to avoid the crew’s overnight stay in Tehran, leading to the cancellation of a flight from Frankfurt to Tehran last weekend, as stated by a spokesperson.
Lufthansa and its subsidiary, Austrian Airlines, are the only two Western carriers serving Tehran, primarily dominated by Turkish and Middle Eastern airlines. Austrian Airlines, owned by Lufthansa, operates six weekly flights from Vienna to Tehran and plans to continue flights on Thursday, adjusting schedules to avoid overnight layovers.
Other international airlines that fly to Tehran have not yet provided immediate updates. Iranian airspace serves as a crucial overflight route for Emirates’ and Qatar Airways’ flights to North America.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Israel “must be punished and it shall be” for the strike, which killed seven members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps, among them a senior commander in its elite overseas unit, the Quds Force.
Israel, which launched a war in the Gaza Strip six months ago against Iran-backed Hamas, has not confirmed it was behind the strike on Damascus, but the Pentagon has said it was.
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Israel Targets Iranian Consulate in Damascus- SANA
Iran Alerted Russia to Security Threat Before Moscow Attack- Reuters
Saudi Foreign Minister Receives Call from Iranian Counterpart
