Egypt instructs its airlines to avoid Iran’s airspace amid escalation with Israel

By Mohammad Sio

ISTANBUL (AA) – Egypt instructed its airlines to avoid Iran’s airspace for a 3-hour period early Thursday amid concerns of an Iranian attack against Israel.

The NOTAM, a notice filed with an aviation authority to alert aircraft pilots of potential hazards along a flight route or at a location that could affect the flight, said the instruction would be effective from 01:00 to 04:00GMT.

“All Egyptian carriers shall avoid overflying Tehran. No flight plan will be accepted overflying such territory,” the notice says.

Israel is on a high military alert for a potential Iranian attack following last week’s assassination of Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh. While Hamas and Iran accused Israel of carrying out Haniyeh’s assassination, Tel Aviv has not confirmed or denied responsibility.

Lebanese group Hezbollah has also threatened to retaliate against Israel following the assassination of its senior commander Fouad Shukr in an airstrike in Beirut’s southern suburb on July 30.

The escalation comes amid Israel’s devastating offensive on the Gaza Strip since a Hamas attack last October despite a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire.

More than 39,600 Palestinians have since been killed, mostly women and children, and over 91,600 injured, according to local health authorities.

Over 10 months into the Israeli war, vast tracts of Gaza lie in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water, and medicine.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which ordered it to immediately halt its military operation in the southern city of Rafah, where more than 1 million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.