Iran has extended the closure of its airspace, anticipating Israeli reprisal for its attack on the enemy country on Tuesday evening.
All flights have been cancelled until 5 a.m. (0130 GMT) on Thursday to preserve aviation security, according to state news agency ISNA, quoting an aviation authority spokesman.
Iran first restricted the airspace over Tehran, cancelling all flights until Wednesday morning, following a salvo of missiles launched at Israel on Tuesday evening.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said the attack was in reprisal for the deaths of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, Hezbollah Chief Hassan Nasrallah, and an Iranian general.
The strike targeted three Israeli aviation sites as well as the headquarters of Mossad, the Israeli foreign intelligence service.
Israel on Wednesday promised to retaliate after Iran fired a volley of missiles at its land, with Tehran threatening it would target “all infrastructure” in Israel if attacked.
After the attack late Tuesday, in which most of the missiles were intercepted, Israel threatened to make Iran “pay” and promised to hit “the Middle East powerfully.”
Following the missile attack, President Joe Biden stated that the US is “fully supportive” of Israel and that he will negotiate a reaction with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated on social networking site X that Tehran’s “action is concluded unless the Israeli regime decides to invite further retaliation.”
The Revolutionary Guards previously stated that the attack was in retribution to Israel’s assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah last week, as well as the death of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in a Tehran explosion largely blamed on Israel.
