Airlines cancel flights amid Israeli attacks on Iran

By Emre Gurkan Abay and Emir Yildirim

MOSCOW (AA) - Several airlines canceled flights over parts of the Middle East on Friday following Israeli airstrikes on Iran, according to flight tracker Flightradar24.

Civilian aircraft pulled out of the airspace over Israel, Iran, Jordan, Lebanon, and Iraq after the attacks, which began Thursday night.

Israel, Iran, and Jordan all temporarily closed their airspaces, and most flights scheduled to depart from Beirut were canceled.

Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency also barred Russian airlines from entering the airspace of Israel, Iran, Jordan, and Lebanon.

Among the airlines suspending flights to the region were Azerbaijan Airlines, Emirates, Flydubai, and Qatar Airways.

Turkish budget carrier AJet announced the cancelation of all flights to Iran, Iraq, and Jordan through Monday.

The flight disruptions came as Israeli forces reportedly launched coordinated strikes on Tehran, Tabriz, Lorestan, and Kermanshah, along with the Natanz nuclear facility in Isfahan.

Senior Iranian military leaders, including Maj. Gen. Mohammad Bagheri of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and IRGC Commander-in-Chief Hossein Salami, were reportedly killed in the attacks, along with several nuclear scientists and civilians.