Germany’s Lufthansa Airlines has announced the suspension of its flights to Tehran, effective from April 6 to likely April 11, amidst escalating tensions in the Middle East.
The decision is linked to concerns of potential Iranian retaliation for an alleged Israeli strike in Iran that claimed the lives of two Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Ground Forces (IRGC) generals and several other members.
An Iranian news agency briefly escalated tensions by sharing an Arabic report on social media platform X, stating that all airspace over Tehran had been closed for military drills. However, the agency later removed the report and denied issuing such news.
Since April 1, both countries in the region and the United States have been on high alert and making preparations for a potential attack by Iran, following suspicions that Israeli warplanes bombed the Iranian embassy compound in Syria.
“We are continuously monitoring the situation in the Middle East and maintaining close contact with the authorities. The safety of our passengers and crew members is Lufthansa’s highest priority,” a company spokesperson told Reuters.
Lufthansa and its subsidiary Austrian Airlines are the sole two Western carriers providing international flights to Tehran, predominantly served by Turkish and Middle Eastern airlines.
Austrian Airlines, owned by Lufthansa, operates a direct Vienna-Tehran service six times a week and is still scheduled to operate its flight into Tehran on Thursday, as stated on its website and FlightRadar24.
Other international airlines flying to Tehran have not provided an immediate response.
This move comes in the wake of reports of military drills in Tehran’s airspace and a statement from Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who called for Israel to be punished for a Damascus strike that resulted in the deaths of seven IRGC members, including a senior commander in the Quds Force.
Among the group was Mohammad Reza Zahedi, a high-ranking officer in the Quds Force, a specialized international division of the Revolutionary Guards.
However, Israel did not confirm its involvement in the strike on Damascus, but the Pentagon has stated that it was behind the attack, which came six months after Israel launched a war in the Gaza Strip against Iran-backed Hamas.
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz stated that Israel would retaliate if Iran were to launch an attack on Israel from within its territory, in an apparent response to Khamenei.
Bloomberg reported on Wednesday, citing US and Israeli security sources, that the United States and its allies anticipate imminent major missile or drone strikes by Iran or its proxies on military and government targets in Israel.
According to the State Department, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken made it plain during a phone conversation with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant that the US would support Israel in the face of any threats from Iran.
