Iran grounds all flights through Monday morning for ‘operational restrictions’: reports

All flights from Iran’s airports were canceled on Sunday through 6 a.m. local time on Monday due to “operational restrictions,” according to reports.

Iran’s state media cited a spokesperson for Iran’s Civil Aviation Organization, which announced the flight cancellations.

State media said the flights were canceled due to operational restrictions, though no further details were provided.

Iran imposed flight restrictions last Tuesday when it launched a barrage of ballistic missiles at Israel, in an attack Israel vowed to respond to.

Iran bombarded Israel with 181 missiles last week in what the regime said was retaliation for the killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut, Lebanon, in an Israeli airstrike in September and the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran in July. 

Meanwhile, Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon have traded attacks with Israel since the Israel-Hamas war began on Oct. 7.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday called out Western leaders who he said had called for an arms embargo on Israel over its airstrikes against Hamas in Gaza.

“As Israel fights the forces of barbarism led by Iran, all civilized countries should be standing firmly by Israel’s side, yet President Macron and other western leaders are now calling for arms embargoes against Israel. Shame on them,” Netanyahu said in a statement.