Iran issues airspace warning
Tehran has reportedly warned pilots and aviation authorities to avoid its airspace amid threats of retaliation against Israel.
Iran has issued a notice to pilots and aviation authorities to avoid its airspace amid threats by its government to attack Israel, the Wall Street Journal reported on August 5, citing sources.
The announcement followed a warning by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on August 4 to G7 foreign ministers that Tehran could attack Israel within 24 to 48 hours, according to two diplomats familiar with the matter. Blinken did not specify what form the attack might take.
According to the source, the announcement from Tehran about its airspace, which was issued at 7:45 a.m. CET, is often used by aviation authorities to provide necessary real-time information to pilots without prior knowledge.
The WSJ writes that it is essentially a stay-at-home notice for commercial and civilian aviation without any indication of what might happen next.
Israel is bracing for a possible attack from Iran, which Iranian officials have said would be carried out in retaliation for the alleged Israeli assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran last week.
West Jerusalem has neither confirmed nor denied involvement but said it was prepared to defend itself and respond to any retaliatory attack. Washington has vowed to help defend the Jewish state.
US officials are said to have been working with international partners to try to contain rising tensions in the Middle East.
According to a diplomat cited by the WSJ, during the G7 call on Sunday, Mr. Blinken told his counterparts that if Iran’s retaliation against Israel was on a similar scale to the April attack, it could close off any future engagement between Iran and the United States.
In April, Iran launched hundreds of missiles and drones at Israel in response to Israel's bombing of its consulate in Syria.
The attack was mostly intercepted by Israel's Iron Dome air defense system, but some missiles reached their targets, causing what Israel said was minor damage to military facilities.
On August 5, Israeli media reported that West Jerusalem could launch a "preemptive strike" on Iran if it received intelligence that Tehran was certain to launch a retaliatory attack.
