Iraq reopens airspace after Iran ends strikes on Israel
Iraq reopened its airspace on Monday, the country’s civil aviation authority said, following Iran’s announcement that it was halting its military operations against Israel, News.Az reports, citing Anadolu.
The Civil Aviation Authority said it was reopening “Iraqi airspace to flights to and from all airports” and would continue to “monitor and assess the regional situation,” according to an official statement.
The agency had announced a 72-hour closure of Iraq’s airspace on Sunday evening after Iranian missile strikes on Israel, marking the first such escalation since a ceasefire in the war involving the US, Israel, and Iran began on April 8.
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Iran’s military said early Monday that it was stopping its attacks on Israel, while warning of a “crushing” response if Israeli strikes against Lebanon continued.
Israel, however, has not officially declared an end to its operations against Iran.
Tensions escalated on Sunday after Israel struck the Lebanese capital Beirut despite an ongoing ceasefire, prompting Iran to fire missiles at northern Israel in retaliation, followed by Israeli airstrikes against Iran.
The wider region has remained on edge since US and Israeli airstrikes on Iran in late February triggered Iranian retaliation targeting Israel and other regional countries hosting US military assets.
A temporary ceasefire was reached on April 8, but negotiations later stalled amid disputes over its implementation and subsequent regional developments.
By Nijat Babayev
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