The German airline Lufthansa (LHAG.DE), opens new tab on Thursday extended the suspension of its flights to Tehran due to the situation in the Middle East, which is on alert for Iranian retaliation for a suspected Israeli air strike on Iran's embassy in Syria.
An Iranian news agency had published an Arabic report on the social media platform X saying all airspace over Tehran had been closed for military drills, but then removed the report and denied issuing such news.
The region and the United States have been on alert for a retaliatory attack by Iran since April 1, when Israeli warplanes were suspected of bombing the Iranian embassy compound in Syria.
Lufthansa on Thursday said it had suspended flights to and from Tehran until probably April 13, extending its suspension by two days.
A spokesperson said it had decided not to operate a flight from Frankfurt to Tehran last weekend to avoid the crew having to disembark to spend the night in Tehran.
Lufthansa and its subsidiary Austrian Airlines are the only two Western carriers flying into Tehran, which is mostly served by Turkish and Middle Eastern airlines.
Austrian Airlines, which is owned by Lufthansa and flies from Vienna to Tehran six times a week, said it was still planning to fly on Thursday but was adjusting timings to avoid an overnight layover.
There was no immediate word from other international airlines that fly to Tehran. Iranian air space is also a key overflight route for Emirates' and Qatar Airways' flights to North America.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Israel "must be punished and it shall be" for the strike, which killed seven members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps, among them a senior commander in its elite overseas unit, the Quds Force.
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.
Here are the top political news stories for today.
@DopeyEqu4lityRepublican2yrs2Y
Destroy Iran’s four oil refineries immediately. Punish them like few have ever been punished in history. The US restraint is so soft and weak. Cowards.
@FondVenisonNo Labels2yrs2Y
The U.S. fully supported Saudi Arabia's massacres in Yemen for years
Iran's FM Abdollahian: "The zionist regime's terrorist act against the Iranian diplomatic building in Damascus was with the use of US-made aircraft & missiles. In addition to legal and international measures, Tehran will hold the criminal aggressors accountable and punish them."
Let's see if Iran chooses to punish the genocidal regime today. They say many Zionists had problems sleeping last night.
It's best not to be near a building with an Israeli flag anywhere nearby.
@NobleBureaucratGreen2yrs2Y
While the US has lost every war since Vietnam, Iran has won every one of them since its war with Iraq. During the war that was started by Iraq they were really fighting all the Gulf states the same way that Russia is fighting all NATO countries in Ukraine. Hezbollah kicked the Israelis out once Iran entered the foray. That is why the butt of Israelis is hurting and they are lasing out like the mad people that they are.
Iran will respond within 48 hours... Iran will respond this week... Iran will respond after Ramadan...
@QuailIkeTranshumanist2yrs2Y
Iran is reportedly preparing a 12,000-strong force in Jordan as part of the 'Islamic Resistance in Jordan.' IRGC: "We will soon witness further deadly attacks against Israel, and the resistance front will fulfill its duty."
@DynamicLeftLeaningGreen2yrs2Y
Here's an idea. Send your warships home. Close your illegal bases. Stop stealing oil. Stop killing Muslims. Stop 9 yrs of bombing on Yemen.
OR You'll have to explain why you didn't attack Israel after the attack on USS Liberty killing 34 Americans.
Stop killing people.
@ISIDEWITH2yrs2Y
Loading the political themes of users that engaged with this discussion
Loading data...
Join in on more popular conversations.
