KUALA LUMPUR – Iran has called off all inbound and outbound commercial flights to and from the country for at least 12 hours after it fired ballistic missiles in Israel in response to the Zionist regime’s criminal operations in Iran and the region in the past months, according to a news report.
Iran’s state-owned Press TV reported the country’s Civil Aviation Organisation as saying that flight cancellations have to be done due to missile attacks and “regional situation”, in compliance with aviation safety standards.
Flights have been cancelled until 10am local time today (2.30pm Malaysian time). The aviation organisation also said that refunds will be available to passengers of the flights that have been cancelled, adding that all those flights will be rescheduled.
The organisation’s spokesman also said that all flights via the Iranian airspace will be rerouted to the airspace of other countries.
Meanwhile, Anadolu Agency reported that flights from Istanbul to Iraq, Iran and Jordan that were scheduled for last night and today have also been cancelled, with domestic and international airlines cancelled flights from Istanbul and Sabiha Gokcen international airports to those destinations
The Turkish news agency also reported that many airlines have diverted flights en route to those three countries, and redirect them to Istanbul Airport, Sabiha Gokcen International Airport and nearby airports.
Reuters reported Lebanon Transport Minister Ali Hamie as saying that flights were only allowed to take off towards the western part of the country.
In a post on X, Ali said that all flights can only take off towards the west until “developments and data are evaluated to take the appropriate decision that ensures safety of air traffic in Lebanese airspace”.
Yesterday, Iran launched dozens of missiles against the Israeli regime, where it aimed at military targets.
In a statement, Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) said the missile attack was a retaliation against Israel for the various assassinations they carried out and the crimes they did in Palestine and Lebanon.
“In response to the martyrdom of Ismail Haniyeh, Hassan Nasrallah, and IRGC commander Abbas Nilforushan, we targeted the heart of the occupied territories,” IRGC said.
Meanwhile, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian stated that his country’s missile attack on Israel was based on legitimate rights against the Zionist regime’s aggression.
In a dangerous escalation last week, the Israeli military assassinated Nasrallah, Nilforushan, and other Hezbollah leaders – wiping out an entire densely populated southern Beirut neighbourhood by reportedly dropping 85 American bombs, each weighing 1,000kg.
Israel said Iran fired about 180 missiles but claimed that a large number of them were intercepted by its air defence systems.
Lebanon has been subjected to deadly airstrikes by the Israeli army, with more than a million Lebanese nationals being displaced
Israel has killed about 42,000 people in Gaza and more than 1,000 in Lebanon in less than 12 months. – October 2, 2024