Lufthansa cancels more flights to the Mideast crisis region

By Oliver Towfigh Nia

BERLIN (AA) - German flag carrier Lufthansa on Monday canceled further flights to the Middle East crisis due to security reasons.

The connections to Israel and Iran's capital Tehran were suspended for four more days up to and including Monday, Aug. 12, the company said in Frankfurt. The deadline earlier applied to flights to the Lebanese capital Beirut.

Flights to Amman in Jordan and Erbil in northern Iraq were initially canceled until Aug. 7.

Until then, the companies will not use the airspace over Iraq and Iran as a result growing tensions between Israel and Iran.

The flight ban applies to all airlines in the group and to freight and passenger aircraft alike. In addition to the core airline, the Lufthansa Group also includes Swiss, Austrian, Brussels Airlines and Eurowings.

The Middle East's security situation has deteriorated following the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran and the Israeli army's claim of killing a top Hezbollah commander in Beirut.