Iran closes western airspace and suspends flights amid rising tensions

Iran said on Sunday evening that it had closed the airspace over its western region and cancelled all flights from airports there until further notice. The Tasnim news agency said the move was taken “in light of the current situation,” as regional security tensions and mutual threats with Israel intensify after an Israeli strike in Beirut’s Dahieh district.

The Iranian Civil Aviation Organization later told the Mehr news agency that no new navigation warnings had been issued imposing restrictions on flights inside Iran. The step appears similar to one taken last week, when parts of Iranian airspace were also shut amid the regional escalation.

Alongside the aviation restrictions, senior Iranian officials sharpened their rhetoric toward Israel. The head of Iran’s emergency command said the forces were “ready to fire at the enemy” and that Tehran was waiting for “the slightest mistake” by Israel in Iran.

Parliament speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf also said that “the efforts of the Lebanese fighters and the strong diplomacy of the Islamic Republic will guarantee the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Lebanon,” adding that those efforts would also “disrupt the war madness of the Israeli regime.”