Airlines Scramble to Divert Flights after Iran Missile Attack

 Israeli rescue force members inspect the site where a missile fired from Iran towards Israel hit a school building, in central Israel, October 1, 2024. (Reuters)
Israeli rescue force members inspect the site where a missile fired from Iran towards Israel hit a school building, in central Israel, October 1, 2024. (Reuters)
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Airlines Scramble to Divert Flights after Iran Missile Attack

 Israeli rescue force members inspect the site where a missile fired from Iran towards Israel hit a school building, in central Israel, October 1, 2024. (Reuters)
Israeli rescue force members inspect the site where a missile fired from Iran towards Israel hit a school building, in central Israel, October 1, 2024. (Reuters)

Israel's neighbors closed airspace and airline crews skirted an escalating conflict, with many seeking diversions, after Iran fired a salvo of ballistic missiles at Israel on Tuesday.

A spokesperson for tracking service FlightRadar24 said flights diverted "anywhere they could", and a snapshot of regional traffic showed flights spreading in wide arcs to the north and south, with many converging on Cairo and Istanbul.

FlightRadar24 said Istanbul and Antalya in southern Türkiye were becoming congested, forcing some airlines to divert south.

On Tuesday, about 80 flights, operated by the likes of Emirates, British Airways, Lufthansa, Qatar Airways and bound for major Middle East hubs such as Dubai, Doha and Abu Dhabi, were diverted to places such as Cairo and European cities, its data showed.

Many airlines have also suspended flights to the region or are avoiding use of affected air space.

Iran launched the strikes in retaliation for Israel's campaign against Tehran's Hezbollah allies in Lebanon, and Israel vowed a "painful response" against its enemy.

Earlier, Eurocontrol, a pan-European air traffic control agency, had warned pilots of the escalating conflict.

"A major missile attack has been launched against Israel in the last few minutes," it said in an urgent navigation bulletin. "At present the entire country is under a missile warning."

Shortly afterwards it announced the closure of Jordanian and Iraqi airspace, as well as the closure of a key crossing point into airspace controlled by Cyprus.

An Iraqi pilot bulletin said its Baghdad-controlled airspace was closed until further notice, due to security concerns.

Iraq's transport ministry later re-opened its airspace to civilian flights using its airports. On X, FlightRadar24 said, "It will be a while before flights are active there again."

Jordan also re-opened its airspace after a closure following the volley of Iranian missiles towards Israel, the Jordanian state news agency said.

Lebanon's airspace will be closed to air traffic for a two-hour period on Tuesday, Transport Minister Ali Hamie said on X.

The latest disruptions are expected to deal a further blow to an industry already face curbs due to conflicts between Israel and Hamas, and Russia and Ukraine.



Yemen's Houthis Launched Missile at US Fighter Jet, Missed

Houthi militants stormed the Greek tanker "Sunion" and rigged its deck with explosives before blowing it up (EPA)
Houthi militants stormed the Greek tanker "Sunion" and rigged its deck with explosives before blowing it up (EPA)
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Yemen's Houthis Launched Missile at US Fighter Jet, Missed

Houthi militants stormed the Greek tanker "Sunion" and rigged its deck with explosives before blowing it up (EPA)
Houthi militants stormed the Greek tanker "Sunion" and rigged its deck with explosives before blowing it up (EPA)

Yemen's Houthis launched surface-to-air missiles at an American fighter jet and MQ-9 Reaper drone this week, but did not hit either, two US officials told Reuters.

The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, did not specify if the attacks occurred over the Red Sea or Yemen itself.

One said the incidents could suggest the Houthis were improving their targeting capabilities.

Abdul Malik al-Houthi, who leads the Iran-backed group, said in a televised speech on Feb. 13 that the Houthis would intervene with missiles and drones and attack vessels in the Red Sea if the United States and Israel tried to remove Palestinians from Gaza by force.

An Israel-Hamas ceasefire took effect in Gaza on January 19 but has appeared close to collapse recently amid mutual accusations of violations.

US President Donald Trump has infuriated the Arab world with a plan to permanently displace Palestinians from Gaza and take over the enclave to turn it into a beach resort.

The Houthis have carried out more than 100 attacks on ships off Yemen since November 2023 in support of Gaza's Palestinian militants fighting Israel, disrupting global shipping.