The Iran-Israel airspace closures have plunged much of the Middle East into aviation paralysis, after sweeping U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran triggered a cascade of retaliation and grounded flights across the region.
As missiles streaked across the sky Saturday, governments below moved just as swiftly — slamming shut their airspace and forcing global carriers into a frantic scramble to reroute aircraft.
Eight Nations Seal Their Skies
At least eight countries closed their airspace as hostilities erupted: Iran, Israel, Iraq, Jordan, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates. Syria also partially shuttered its southern airspace along the Israeli border for 12 hours.
The closures followed a wave of attacks carried out by the United States and Israel across Iran. President Donald Trump pledged the strikes would dismantle Iran’s missile industry and destroy its navy.
Tehran, which had been negotiating with Washington over its nuclear program until the attacks, vowed a forceful response. Iranian retaliatory strikes soon targeted Israel and several Gulf Arab states hosting U.S. military assets, including Qatar, Kuwait, the UAE and Bahrain.
“All American and Israeli assets and interests in the Middle East have become a legitimate target,” a senior Iranian official told Al Jazeera. “There are no red lines after this aggression, and everything is possible.”
