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Egypt Asks its Airlines to Avoid Tehran Airspace for Three Hours on Thursday

Vehicles drive past a huge banner showing the late Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, left, who was killed in an assassination last week, joining hands with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, in a square in downtown Tehran, Iran, Monday, Aug. 5, 2024. (AP)
Vehicles drive past a huge banner showing the late Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, left, who was killed in an assassination last week, joining hands with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, in a square in downtown Tehran, Iran, Monday, Aug. 5, 2024. (AP)
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Egypt Asks its Airlines to Avoid Tehran Airspace for Three Hours on Thursday

Vehicles drive past a huge banner showing the late Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, left, who was killed in an assassination last week, joining hands with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, in a square in downtown Tehran, Iran, Monday, Aug. 5, 2024. (AP)
Vehicles drive past a huge banner showing the late Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, left, who was killed in an assassination last week, joining hands with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, in a square in downtown Tehran, Iran, Monday, Aug. 5, 2024. (AP)

Egypt instructed all of its airlines to avoid Iranian air space for a three-hour period in the early morning on Thursday amid tension between Israel and Iran.

The NOTAM, a safety notice provided to pilots on Wednesday, said the instruction would be in effect from 0100-0400 GMT.

"All Egyptian carriers shall avoid overflying Tehran (Flight information Region) FIR. No flight plan will be accepted overflying such territory," the notice said, referring to the three-hour period provided.

On Sunday, Jordanian authorities asked all airlines landing at its airports to carry 45 minutes worth of extra fuel.

Many airlines are revising their schedules to avoid Iranian and Lebanese air space while also calling off flights to Israel and Lebanon as many fear a possible broader conflict after the killing of senior members of armed groups Hamas and Hezbollah.

Countries in the region, including Jordan, closed their airspace earlier this year amidst aerial attacks on Israel.

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Blinken: New Hamas Leader Can Ensure a Ceasefire Deal is Reached

Yahya Sinwar speaking to the press (File photo: Reuters)
Yahya Sinwar speaking to the press (File photo: Reuters)
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Blinken: New Hamas Leader Can Ensure a Ceasefire Deal is Reached

Yahya Sinwar speaking to the press (File photo: Reuters)
Yahya Sinwar speaking to the press (File photo: Reuters)

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the newly chosen Hamas leader, Yahya Sinwar, has the power to ensure that a ceasefire deal is reached for the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.

Sinwar “has been and remains the primary decider when it comes to concluding the ceasefire, and so I think this (today’s announcement) only underscores the fact that it’s really on him to decide whether to move forward with a ceasefire that manifestly will help so many Palestinians in desperate need, women, children, men who are caught in a crossfire,” Blinken said. "It really is on him.”

The Palestinian group on Tuesday chose Sinwar, its top official in Gaza who masterminded the Oct. 7 attacks in Israel, after political leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed July 31 in Iran by a presumed Israeli strike.

Regional tensions have soared after Haniyeh's killing, which Iran blamed on Israel, and retaliation has been expected. Concerns are also high after Israel killed a top Hezbollah commander in Lebanon last week.

Amid diplomatic efforts, US President Joe Biden spoke with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi on Tuesday about their hopes for a ceasefire deal calming tensions in the Middle East. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told his Cabinet over the weekend that Israel is already in a “multi-front war” with Iran and its proxies.

Gaza faces a severe humanitarian crisis with Israeli restrictions on aid and ongoing fighting limiting access to crucial medical, food and other supplies. The Health Ministry says the death toll in the territory is nearing 40,000.