Flights from Türkiye’s Istanbul to Iraq, Iran, Jordan canceled amid rising regional tensions

ISTANBUL, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) — Flights from Türkiye’s Istanbul to Iraq, Iran, and Jordan scheduled for Wednesday have been canceled due to rising tensions between Iran and Israel, state-run Anadolu agency reported.
Due to security concerns following Iran’s missile attacks on Israel Tuesday night, many airlines redirected their planes en route to these countries to Istanbul’s two international airports — Istanbul Airport and Sabiha Gokcen Airport, said Anadolu.
Several foreign airline flights that faced fuel shortages have also been redirected to Istanbul.
Iran launched about 180 ballistic missiles at targets in Israel on Tuesday evening. Tehran claims this action was in retaliation for Israel’s assassinations of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, and senior IRGC commander Abbas Nilforoushan, as well as Israel’s escalating “malicious acts” against Lebanese and Palestinian people with U.S. support.
After a situation assessment late on Tuesday, Israel and nearby countries of Jordan and Iraq reopened their airspace, while Iran announced on Wednesday an extension of the cancelation of all flights until Thursday morning. ■