عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Arab World

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)
TT
TT

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.

Most Viewed

 
 
Arab World

Foreign Press Group Slams Israeli Police for Breaking Journalist’s Wrist

Israeli security forces disperse Muslim worshippers who were performing the nightly Taraweeh prayers during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan outside the old city walls of Jerusalem on March 17, 2026, while the al-Aqsa Mosque compound remains closed. (AFP)
Israeli security forces disperse Muslim worshippers who were performing the nightly Taraweeh prayers during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan outside the old city walls of Jerusalem on March 17, 2026, while the al-Aqsa Mosque compound remains closed. (AFP)
TT
TT

Foreign Press Group Slams Israeli Police for Breaking Journalist’s Wrist

Israeli security forces disperse Muslim worshippers who were performing the nightly Taraweeh prayers during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan outside the old city walls of Jerusalem on March 17, 2026, while the al-Aqsa Mosque compound remains closed. (AFP)
Israeli security forces disperse Muslim worshippers who were performing the nightly Taraweeh prayers during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan outside the old city walls of Jerusalem on March 17, 2026, while the al-Aqsa Mosque compound remains closed. (AFP)

An international media association on Wednesday criticized an "unprovoked assault" by Israeli police on journalists in Jerusalem, which it said left a CNN producer with a fractured wrist.

The Foreign Press Association (FPA) said police officers on Tuesday night "unnecessarily and aggressively repelled a group of journalists who were doing their jobs, documenting individuals who were praying outside the walls of the Old City".

It said police detained several journalists, damaging photographic equipment and confiscating memory cards.

"During the assault, one Israeli officer fractured the wrist of a CNN producer," the FPA said in a statement.

"None of this is acceptable," added the association, which represents hundreds of journalists in Israel and the Palestinian territories.

An AFP photographer at the scene said a small group of journalists had been documenting Muslims trying to perform the evening Taraweeh prayers outside the Old City walls, when a group of police suddenly arrived and "violently attacked the worshippers and journalists covering the event."

A foreign journalist told AFP that police "beat the CNN producer and some other journalists with batons," adding that "at least one Palestinian was detained".

AFP has asked Israeli police for comment on the incident.

Israeli authorities have closed holy sites in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem's Old City for security reasons since the outbreak of the Middle East war on February 28.

The FPA called on the police to "immediately take action against the officers involved in this unprovoked assault and to act in the future to safeguard press freedoms, rather than trample upon them."

In an X post, the Union of Journalists in Israel said it was "appalled" by the police conduct and urged the police commissioner to "immediately suspend the officers involved".

Arab World

Three Iraqi Fighters Killed in Strike Near Syria Border

Members of the Iraqi border forces patrol along a concrete wall on the Iraqi-Syrian border, in the town of al-Baghuz in the Al-Qaim district of western Iraq, on January 21, 2026. (AFP)
Members of the Iraqi border forces patrol along a concrete wall on the Iraqi-Syrian border, in the town of al-Baghuz in the Al-Qaim district of western Iraq, on January 21, 2026. (AFP)
TT
TT

Three Iraqi Fighters Killed in Strike Near Syria Border

Members of the Iraqi border forces patrol along a concrete wall on the Iraqi-Syrian border, in the town of al-Baghuz in the Al-Qaim district of western Iraq, on January 21, 2026. (AFP)
Members of the Iraqi border forces patrol along a concrete wall on the Iraqi-Syrian border, in the town of al-Baghuz in the Al-Qaim district of western Iraq, on January 21, 2026. (AFP)

A strike near Iraq's western border with Syria killed three fighters from former coalition Hashed al-Shaabi on Wednesday, the alliance said.

The fighters from the alliance -- also known as the Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF), now part of Iraq's regular armed forces -- were hit in an US or Israeli strike that targeted their main command centre in Anbar province, AFP reported.

Since the start of the Middle East war, Baghdad has repeatedly denounced attacks on the Hashed al-Shaabi, which also includes brigades belonging to Iran-backed groups.

Arab World

Israel Says Hit Hezbollah-controlled Gas Stations in Lebanon

Smoke and explosion following an Israeli air defense interception over Kiryat Shmona, northern Israel, on the border with Lebanon, Monday, March 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)
Smoke and explosion following an Israeli air defense interception over Kiryat Shmona, northern Israel, on the border with Lebanon, Monday, March 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)
TT
TT

Israel Says Hit Hezbollah-controlled Gas Stations in Lebanon

Smoke and explosion following an Israeli air defense interception over Kiryat Shmona, northern Israel, on the border with Lebanon, Monday, March 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)
Smoke and explosion following an Israeli air defense interception over Kiryat Shmona, northern Israel, on the border with Lebanon, Monday, March 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

Israel's military said Wednesday it had struck gas stations in south Lebanon belonging to a company owned by the Iranian-backed armed group Hezbollah.

"Overnight, the 'Israeli army' struck Al-Amana Fuel Company gas stations in southern Lebanon", the military said.

A map shared with the statement showed the locations of five gas stations the military said it struck, all in Lebanon's south, including two near the country's Mediterranean coast.

The statement added that the Al-Amana fuel company is controlled by Hezbollah "and constitutes fundamental economic infrastructure that supports Hezbollah's military capabilities".

It said Hezbollah receives "millions of dollars of profits" from the company via another Hezbollah-owned association to fund its military activities.

Since the war with Iran broke out, Israel has also bombed Al-Qard al-Hassan, a financial firm with links to Hezbollah.