Earlier this week, some airlines had already announced the suspension of their flights to Tehran.
Jordan’s Civil Aviation, bordering Israel, ordered the temporary closure of its airspace this Saturday as a “precautionary” measure.
“The Civil Aviation Regulatory Authority of Jordan has decided to temporarily and preventively close Jordanian airspace to all arriving, departing, and transit aircraft starting from 20:00 GMT,” begins the statement, adding that the measure will be extended “over the next few hours” and “will be continuously updated and reviewed based on the evolution of this dangerous situation.”
Jordan thus became the first country to completely halt its air activity since the escalation of tensions in the region, although it is not surprising given its border sharing with Iraq and Syria, two nations where there are presence of pro-Iranian terrorist militias that often attack positions of Western allies.
However, just a few hours later, after Tehran’s offensive was confirmed, the authorities of Lebanon and Iraq also joined and closed their airspace. In the case of Lebanon, the Ministry of Transport stated that it was done “as a precautionary and temporary measure,” between 01:00 and 07:00 hours, in response to the “circumstances in the region,” while the latter announced the measure but did not provide a timeframe for reopening.
Nevertheless, earlier this week, some airlines had already announced the suspension of their flights to Tehran, also in an attempt to prevent any type of action that could be taken against them or in which their aircraft, crew, or passengers could be involved.
