Airline cuts flights to Tehran as Middle East on alert for Iranian strike on Israel
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German airline Lufthansa on Thursday extended its suspension of flights to Tehran amid high tensions in the Middle East, where an Iranian retaliatory strike on Israel is widely expected.
Earlier, an Iranian news agency published an Arabic-language report on X, formerly known as Twitter, saying airspace over Tehran had been closed for military drills, but the post was removed, and the agency denied issuing such a report, according to Reuters.
Lufthansa is one of only two Western airlines that charters flights to Tehran, the other being its subsidiary Austrian Airlines. The carrier said it had suspended flights to the Iranian capital until at least April 13, extending its suspension by two days, so that its crew would not have to disembark and spend the night in Tehran.
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DLAKY | DEUTSCHE LUFTHANSA AG | 7.22 | -0.07 | -0.96% |
"Last weekend it was decided not to operate a flight to Tehran with a layover for the crew due to the security situation," a spokesperson told Reuters. "On the route, the crew has to spend the night in Tehran before the return flight to Frankfurt. We want to avoid disembarking for safety reasons."
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Passenger aircraft operated by Deutsche Lufthansa AG, during a strike by airport security workers, at Frankfurt Airport in Frankfurt, Germany, on Thursday, Feb. 1, 2024. (Alex Kraus/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)
Austrian Airlines, which runs six flights from Vienna to Tehran each week, said it still plans to fly Thursday but will adjust its schedule to avoid any overnight layovers.
"The Austrian Airlines flight to Tehran scheduled for today will take place, but will depart from Vienna several hours late in order to minimize the time between landing and departure in Tehran," a spokesperson said.
Iran has vowed retribution against Israel for a suspected Israeli airstrike on the Iranian embassy in Syria on April 1.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Israel "must be punished, and it shall be" for the strike, which killed seven members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps, among them a senior commander in its elite overseas unit, the Quds Force.
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Iranian flag flutters on new Iranian consulate building after Iran's consulate in Damascus was targeted in a suspected Israeli attack on Monday April 1, in Damascus, Syria April 8, 2024. (REUTERS/Firas Makdesi / Reuters Photos)
Israel responded Wednesday, warning that anyone who tries to strike them "will be met with a strong defense."
"We know how to respond quickly and decisively to the territory of whoever attacks our territory – no matter where that may be in the Middle East," Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said. "Over the years, we have been known to prepare surprises for our enemies."
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz issued similar warnings Wednesday, saying his country's forces would strike Iran directly if the Islamic Republic launched an attack from its territory against Israel.
"If Iran attacks from its territory, Israel will respond and attack in Iran," Katz said in a post on X in both Farsi and Hebrew.
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated that his country is prepared "defensively and offensively" in the event of an Iranian attack.
"We are in challenging times. We are in the midst of the war in Gaza, which is continuing at full force, even as we are continuing our relentless efforts to return our hostages," Netanyahu said during a visit to Tel Nof Air Base.
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"However, we are also prepared for scenarios involving challenges in other sectors. We have determined a simple rule: Whoever harms us, we will harm them. We are prepared to meet all of the security needs of the State of Israel, both defensively and offensively."
Fox News' Yonat Friling, Bradford Betz, Jennifer Griffen and Reuters contributed to this report.