Jordan, Iraq and Lebanon reopen airspace after Iran attacks

Jordan鈥檚 air defenses were ready to intercept and shoot down any Iranian drones or aircraft that violate its airspace. Above, an anti-missile system in Ashkelon, Israel on April 14, 2024. (Reuters)
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  • Jordan鈥檚 state TV said the country had resumed air traffic operations, citing aviation authorities
  • Tehran鈥檚 Mehrabad airport and airports in several other Iranian cities have canceled domestic flights

CAIRO: Jordan, Iraq and Lebanon have reopened their airspace on Sunday after closing it late on Saturday as Iran launched drone and missile attacks against Israel, the three countries said on Sunday.

Jordan鈥檚 state TV said the country had resumed air traffic operations, citing aviation authorities. The opening of its airspace came more than three hours earlier than scheduled. 

Jordan announced the closure of its airspace to all incoming, departing, and transiting flights temporarily starting from 20:00 UTC, 11:00pm local time on Saturday, for several hours. 

The commission said at the time that the decision was taken to ensure the security and safety of civil aviation in the Jordanian airspace.

Iraq鈥檚 aviation authority said security risks had now been overcome.

Many flying objects were spotted over Jordan with images and videos circulated on social media showing air-defense systems shooting them down over the capital Amman and the northwestern regions on the borders with Syria and Israel.

Following a cabinet meeting early on Sunday, Jordanian government called for self-restraint and de-escalation, the Jordanian news agency, Petra, reported.

The government also said that Jordan dealt with some 鈥渇lying objects鈥� over the Kingdom on Sunday night and shot them down, adding that some shrapnels fell on uninhabited areas and no injuries were reported.

Lebanon said its airport will resume its activities after the overnight closure, state TV reported.

Tehran鈥檚 Mehrabad airport and airports in several other Iranian cities have canceled domestic flights until Monday morning due to Middle East tensions, the semi-official Mehr news agency reported on Sunday, as the country鈥檚 western airspace remains off limits to flights.

Iran launched explosive drones and fired missiles at Israel late on Saturday 鈥� its first direct attack on Israeli territory in a retaliatory strike that raises the threat of wider regional conflict.

Jordan, which lies between Iran and Israel, had readied air defenses to intercept any drones or missiles that violated its territory, two regional security sources said.

US and British warplanes were involved in shooting down some Israel-bound drones over the Iraq-Syria border area, Israel鈥檚 Channel 12 reported.

Iranian airports cancel flights until Monday morning

Several Iranian airports including Tehran鈥檚 Imam Khomeini International have canceled flights until Monday, Iranian state media reported on Sunday, as tensions flared in the Middle East with Iran鈥檚 attack on Israel overnight.

鈥淎ll flights from Tehran鈥檚 Imam Khomeini International Airport have been canceled until 6 a.m. (0230 GMT) following an announcement by Iran鈥檚 Civil Aviation Organization,鈥� the airport鈥檚 executive told the Iranian Student News Agency.
Domestic flights from Tehran鈥檚 Mehrabad Airport and airports in Shiraz, Isfahan, Bushehr, Kerman, Ilam, and Sanandaj have also been canceled until Monday morning, according to Iran鈥檚 Airports and Air Navigation Company, as the country鈥檚 western airspace remains off limits to flights.
Major airlines across the Middle East have announced the cancelation of some of their flights, while having to reroute others.