Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon close airspace following Iranian missile attack on Israel

By Laith Al Junaidi

AMMAN, Jordan (AA) - Jordan, Iraq, and Lebanon announced the closure of their airspace on Tuesday evening after an Iranian missile attack on Israel.

This information was released in statements from the Jordanian Civil Aviation Regulatory Commission, Iraq's Ministry of Transport, and Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Works and Transport.

The Jordanian Civil Aviation Regulatory Commission said that it had “temporarily closed the kingdom's airspace to all flights (incoming, outgoing, and transiting),” according to the official Jordanian news agency.

Hytham Mesto, the head of the commission, emphasized that the decision was made “due to the escalating situation in the region, which poses risks to flight operations and passenger safety,” the agency added.

Mesto also said: “This precautionary measure would be reviewed based on ongoing developments and risk assessments.”

Meanwhile, Iraq's Transport Minister Razzaq Muhaybis al-Saadawi said: “To ensure the safety of air navigation and transiting aircraft, we have directed the closure of Iraqi airspace to flight operations.”

Lebanon’s official news agency reported that the media office of Lebanon's Minister of Public Works and Transport Ali Hamieh said in a statement: “Due to regional developments, the airspace will be closed to air traffic for two hours, after which a reassessment will be made to resume flights.”

Earlier, Israel reported that Iran had launched about 200 missiles in retaliation for the assassination of key figures, including Ismail Haniyeh and Hassan Nasrallah.

Israel had targeted Nasrallah and others, including Abbas Nilforoushan, in an airstrike on the southern suburbs of Beirut on Sept. 27.

Haniyeh was killed in a strike on his residence during a visit to Tehran in late July.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio​​​​​​​