NEW DELHI: German airline Lufthansa on wednesday announced the suspension of flights to Tehran citing the volatile situation in the Middle East. This decision comes amidst heightened concerns over potential Iranian retaliation following a suspected Israeli air strike on Iran‘s embassy in Syria.
Adding to the tensions, an Iranian news agency briefly escalated the situation by posting on social media that Tehran’s airspace was closed for military drills.However, the agency later retracted the statement, denying any issuance of such news. Since April 1, when Israeli warplanes were suspected of targeting the Iranian embassy compound in Syria, countries in the region along with the United States have remained on high alert, bracing for potential attacks by Iran.
Lufthansa announced the suspension of flights to and from Tehran from April 6 until likely April 11. A spokesperson for the company said, “We are continuously monitoring the situation in the Middle East and maintaining close communication with the authorities. Ensuring the safety of our passengers and crew members remains Lufthansa’s utmost priority,” a spokesperson for the company told Reuters.
Lufthansa and its subsidiary Austrian Airlines stand as the sole Western carriers offering international flights into Tehran, with Turkish and Middle Eastern airlines predominantly serving the region. Austrian Airlines, a Lufthansa-owned entity, maintains a direct Vienna-Tehran service six times a week, as indicated by its website and FlightRadar24. As of now, there is no immediate update from other international airlines operating flights to Tehran.
Meanwhile, Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said that Israel “must be punished and it shall be” for the Damascus strike that killed seven Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps members.
Among them was Mohammad Reza Zahedi, a senior commander in the Quds Force, an elite overseas unit of the Revolutionary Guards.
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.
(With input from agency)
Adding to the tensions, an Iranian news agency briefly escalated the situation by posting on social media that Tehran’s airspace was closed for military drills.However, the agency later retracted the statement, denying any issuance of such news. Since April 1, when Israeli warplanes were suspected of targeting the Iranian embassy compound in Syria, countries in the region along with the United States have remained on high alert, bracing for potential attacks by Iran.
Lufthansa announced the suspension of flights to and from Tehran from April 6 until likely April 11. A spokesperson for the company said, “We are continuously monitoring the situation in the Middle East and maintaining close communication with the authorities. Ensuring the safety of our passengers and crew members remains Lufthansa’s utmost priority,” a spokesperson for the company told Reuters.
Lufthansa and its subsidiary Austrian Airlines stand as the sole Western carriers offering international flights into Tehran, with Turkish and Middle Eastern airlines predominantly serving the region. Austrian Airlines, a Lufthansa-owned entity, maintains a direct Vienna-Tehran service six times a week, as indicated by its website and FlightRadar24. As of now, there is no immediate update from other international airlines operating flights to Tehran.
Meanwhile, Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said that Israel “must be punished and it shall be” for the Damascus strike that killed seven Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps members.
Among them was Mohammad Reza Zahedi, a senior commander in the Quds Force, an elite overseas unit of the Revolutionary Guards.
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.
(With input from agency)