Iran issues airspace warning.
Tehran has reportedly warned pilots and aviation authorities to avoid its airspace amid threats of retaliation against Israel.
The Wall Street Journal reported on August 5, citing sources, that Iran had issued a notice to pilots and aviation authorities to avoid its airspace amid threats from its government to attack Israel.
According to two well-informed diplomats, the announcement came after U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned G7 foreign ministers on August 4 that Tehran could attack Israel within 24 to 48 hours. Blinken did not specify what form the attack might take.
According to the source, the announcement from Tehran regarding its airspace, issued at 7:45 a.m. CET, is typically used by aviation authorities to provide essential real-time information to pilots without prior notice.
The WSJ wrote that, essentially, this was a walkaway announcement for commercial and civil aviation with no indication of what might happen afterward.
Israel is preparing for a possible attack from Iran, which Iranian officials have stated they will carry 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 pledged to help protect the Jewish state.
U.S. officials have reportedly 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, Blinken told his counterparts that if Iran's retaliation against Israel were on a scale similar to the April attack, it could close the door on any future engagement between Iran and the United States.
In April, Iran launched hundreds of missiles and drones at Israel in retaliation for Israel's bombing of its consulate in Syria.
The attack was largely intercepted by Israel's Iron Dome air defense system, but some missiles did reach their targets, causing what Israel said was minor damage to military facilities.
On August 5th, Israeli media reported that West Jerusalem could launch a "preemptive strike" against Iran if it received intelligence that Tehran would certainly retaliate.