At least eight countries, including Iran, Israel, and Gulf states, slam shut their skies, bringing Middle East air travel to a grinding halt.
Airspace Shutdown as Tensions Explode
A massive wave of US and Israeli strikes on Iran has triggered fiery retaliation from Tehran, sparking violence across the region and forcing multiple Middle Eastern countries to close their airspace.
Saturday saw Iran, Israel, Iraq, Jordan, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, and the UAE shut their skies. Syria also closed part of its southern airspace near the Israeli border for 12 hours.
US, Israel Launch Devastating Attacks
The assaults came after US President Donald Trump vowed to wipe out Iran’s missile programmes and naval forces. The strikes hit key targets across Iran, including Tehran, escalating a simmering conflict into outright war.
Iran, which was in talks with the US over its nuclear programme until the attacks, fired back hard, targeting Israel and Gulf states hosting US forces — including Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, and the UAE.
“All American and Israeli assets and interests in the Middle East have become a legitimate target,” a senior Iranian source told Al Jazeera. “There are no red lines after this aggression, and everything is possible.”
Global Airlines Pull Out, Flights Rerouted
The fallout halted global travel, with airlines scrambling to cancel or divert flights across the Middle East — a crucial corridor between Europe and Asia now under heavy restrictions.
Russia banned flights to Iran and Israel. Air India announced a full avoidance policy for the Middle East. Top carriers, including Lufthansa, Air France, British Airways, Qatar Airways, Virgin Atlantic, and Turkish Airlines, all suspended routes.
Region Faces Unprecedented Crisis
Al Jazeera’s Ali Hashem from Doha described the situation as two “parallel” conflicts unfolding, making the crisis far more complex than anything the region has faced before.
“This could make the whole crisis very intertwined and very complicated in a way that this region has never witnessed,” Hashem said.
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