Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – The hot situation in the Middle East has caused the German aviation giant, Lufthansa, to suspend its services to Tehran, Iran. This happened after relations between Iran and Israel heated up.
Lufthansa said it was suspending flights to and from Tehran from April 6 until possibly April 11.
“We continue to monitor the situation in the Middle East and are in close contact with the authorities. The safety of our guests and crew is Lufthansa's top priority,” a company spokesperson told Reuters, Thursday (11/4/2024).
This suspension came after the Iranian news agency sparked tensions when it published an Arabic report on the X social media platform that said all airspace in Tehran had been closed for military exercises. The agency later deleted the report and denied having issued such news.
Meanwhile, Middle Eastern countries and the United States have been on high alert and preparing for a possible Iranian attack since April 1 when Israeli warplanes allegedly bombed the Iranian embassy compound in Syria.
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Photo: REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach
A screen displays information on a strike organized by Verdi union as Frankfurt airport is closed to passengers with planned departures, in Frankfurt, Germany, March 7, 2024. REUTERS/ Kai Pfaffenbach |
Lufthansa and its subsidiary Austrian Airlines are the only two Western airlines that operate international flights to Tehran, most of which are served by Turkish and Middle Eastern airlines.
Austrian Airlines, which is owned by Lufthansa and runs a direct Vienna-Tehran service six times a week, was still scheduled to operate its flights to Tehran on Thursday, according to its website and FlightRadar24. There was no immediate word from other international airlines flying to Tehran.
Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said that Israel “must be punished and must be punished” for the attack in Damascus that killed seven members of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Among them is Mohammad Reza Zahedi, a senior commander of the Quds Force, the elite overseas unit of the Revolutionary Guards.
Israel, which launched war in the Gaza Strip six months ago against Iran-backed Hamas, has not confirmed that it was behind the attack on Damascus. But the Pentagon said they were behind the attack.
[Gambas:Video CNBC]
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