Airlines halt many Middle East flights after Israel hits Iran
Qatar Airways is now the second-largest airline in the region behind Emirates.
PARIS, France — Global airlines on Friday cancelled flights to Tel Aviv, Tehran and other Middle East destinations, or rerouted planes, as airspaces were shut off following Israeli strikes on Iran.
Israel, Iran, Iraq, Jordan and Syria closed their airspaces after Israel hit military and nuclear facilities in Iran. Israel said Tehran launched drones in retaliation.
Air India's New Delhi-Vienna and Mumbai-London flights were about to enter Iranian airspace when Israel launched its attack, forcing the planes to turn back to their origin, according to aircraft tracker Flight Aware.
Its London-New Delhi flight had just entered Iranian airspace and was rerouted over Iraq before arriving in India one hour late, according to Flight Aware.
Air India diverted or called back a total of 16 flights between India and London and cities in Canada and the United States 'due to the emerging situation in Iran'.
Emirates, the Middle East's largest airline, cancelled flights to and from Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Iran after Israel launched the strikes.
Qatar Airways, the country's national carrier and one of the Middle East's largest, said it had 'temporarily cancelled flights to Iran and Iraq due to (the) current situation in the region'.
Air France said it was suspending its flights to and from Tel Aviv 'until further notice' following the closure of Israeli airspace.
'Air France is closely monitoring the situation in the Middle East in real time,' a spokesman for the French airline told AFP, adding that 'the safety of its customers and crews is its absolute priority'.
U.S. carrier Delta Air Lines said it is pausing service between New York's John F Kennedy airport and Tel Aviv through August 31 'in response to the ongoing conflict in the region.'
United Airlines, another U.S. carrier, said service between its Newark, New Jersey hub and Tel Aviv is paused.
United arranged for 26 crew members who are on layover to return to the United States on El Al.
One of United's Tel Aviv flights was canceled Thursday night while the other returned to Newark, the company said.
Russia's aviation authority Rosaviatsiya instructed Russian airlines not to fly 'in the airspace of Israel, Jordan, Iraq and Iran' or use airports in Israel and Iran.
It said the restrictions will stay in place until June 26 or until further notice.
German airline group Lufthansa suspended flights to and from Tehran until July 31. It also extended the suspension of Tel Aviv flights for the same period.
Swiss airline, which is owned by Lufthansa, suspended its Tel Aviv flights until Oct. 25 while those to Beirut were suspended until the end of July.
In the United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi airport warned 'flight disruptions are expected through today (Friday)' as a result of the Israeli strikes.
Dubai's airport also announced flight delays and cancellations due to the closure of airspaces in Iran, Iraq and Syria.
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Toronto Sun
14 minutes ago
- Toronto Sun
KINSELLA: First casualty of war is truth
Iran, Hamas and their ilk are waging their war not just with bombs and bullets but also with words and images An injured woman is evacuated on a wheelchair in an area hit by a missile fired from Iran, in Ramat Gan near Tel Aviv on June 13, 2025. Photo by Jack Guez / AFP via Getty Images As the Israel-Iran war goes on, be wary about what you see and hear and read. The first casualty of war, goes the clich é , is truth. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account And Iran, in particular, has shown itself to be an unequalled master at promoting propaganda and lies. Around the same time that Israel is commencing its long-overdue effort to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, Natasha Hausdorff agrees to meet. The location is apt: the Nova Festival exhibit in Toronto, where the story is told of the 378 Israelis – and Canadians, and Americans, and Britons – who were slaughtered by Hamas on October 7, 2023. The exhibit is harrowing and disturbing, and the organizers have done an extraordinary job of capturing the sadness and horror of that day. When hundreds of unarmed young people were butchered by Islamist terrorists – simply because they had wanted to dance. Hausdorff frowns, thinking about the question she has been asked: namely, how have the world's media gotten the story of Israel – and, equally, Iran – so completely wrong? How has the truth been so fundamentally distorted, in so many places? This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Hausdorff is young and attractive and brilliant. She has law degrees from Oxford and Tel Aviv University, and has been clerk to a Supreme Court judge – a coveted role. A few days ago, Hausdorff became a mega-star when she appeared on Piers Morgan Uncensored and left the British talk show host looking like a sexist, thuggish jerk. Morgan called Hausdorff 'despicable,' cut her off dozens of times, and resembled a shouty polemicist, not a journalist. Asked about that now-infamous encounter, asked about the media's role in these dangerous days, Hausdorff doesn't hesitate. 'In general, I think it's been shameful,' she said. 'It's been shameful that we have not seen a single piece of reporting from Gaza that has acknowledged that nothing that comes out of the Gaza strip is not controlled by Hamas. The notion that the international media would be parroting Hamas propaganda is deeply, deeply shameful – and indicates to me a complete absence of journalistic integrity.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The misinformation and the disinformation are all having real-life consequences, she said. 'This embracing of Hamas terrorist organization propaganda – not just in the obscene statements that we've had from supposed allies of Israel, like the UK, France and Canada, including promoting blood libels like starvation – (is leading to) Jews being executed on the streets in the capital of the free world.' Read More Hateful deeds are always preceded by hateful words, she said. Which makes the obligation of the media to ascertain the real truth to be not just a journalistic one – it's a moral obligation, too. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Asked if Iran, Hamas and their axis have gotten better at propagating lies, Hausdorff nods her head. 'They certainly have invested a great deal more in time, energy and resources into it. It's certainly a been a key factor of Hamas' planning of this war… I think they have definitely come leaps and bounds. We're seeing the impact of that disinformation campaign. But it's not just Hamas.' Natasha Hausdorff @HausdorffMedia (X) Iran, China and Russia, too, have perfected the telling of untruths, and the manipulation of gullible Western media along the way, she said. Israel itself shares some of the blame for losses in the propaganda war, Hausdorff added. The Jewish state is not good – or not good enough – at telling its side of the story to Western media. 'Israel's very much on the back foot on this. One of the founding features of Israel was that Jews wouldn't need to explain themselves to non-Jews anymore,' she said. 'For a long time, you saw that kind of mentality within Israel: we know what we're doing is right. We don't need to explain ourselves to the international community.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Smoke rises after an explosion in Tehran, Iran, Friday, June 13, 2025. Photo by Vahid Salemi / AP Photo She paused, then added: '(But) that is fighting it with both hands tied behind our backs.' True enough. In any war – the seven-front war that Israel has been waging since Oct. 7 – truth is elusive. And truth becomes non-existent if media notables, like Piers Morgan, are too easily deceived by Iranian and Hamas propagandists. Israeli flags stand near damaged buildings in the Israeli city of Ramat Gan near Tel Aviv on June 14, 2025, caused by the fall of a missile fired the day before by Iran. Photo by Jack Guez / AFP via Getty Images 'Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East, fighting these barbaric terrorists, fighting essentially on behalf of the West. And this is not just Israel's war,' Hausdorff concluded. She's right, of course. It's a war against the West, too – and Iran, Hamas and their ilk are clearly visible on the other side. And they are waging their war not just with bombs and bullets. Words and images, too. 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CTV News
an hour ago
- CTV News
Canadians urged to ‘avoid all travel' to Israel amid air, missile strikes with Iran
Israeli security forces inspect the site of homes destroyed by a missile fired from Iran, in Rishon Lezion, Israel, on Saturday, June 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg) The federal government is urging Canadians to 'avoid all travel' to Israel as the country exchanges missile and air strikes with Iran. The Canadian government says it issued the warning because of Israel's 'ongoing hostilities' with Iran. Meanwhile, Canada's foreign affairs minister has asked Canadians in the Middle East in need of emergency assistance to contact the Department of Global Affairs. Anita Anand's social media post this morning comes after she condemned Iran's attack on Israel and called for restraint from both countries. Israel's defense minister warned Saturday that 'Tehran will burn' if Iran continues firing missiles. The two countries traded blows after Israel launched a blistering surprise attack Friday on Iranian nuclear and military sites, killing several top generals. With files from The Associated Press This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 14, 2025.
CTV News
3 hours ago
- CTV News
LIVE UPDATES: After Tehran's deadly retaliatory strikes, Israel threatens more attacks on Iran
Israeli security forces inspect destroyed residential buildings that were hit by a missile fired from Iran, in Ramat Gan, near Tel Aviv, Israel, on Saturday, June 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit) Israel warned of more attacks on Iran on Saturday after Iran's deadly retaliatory strikes on Israel overnight and into the morning. Three people were killed and dozens were wounded in Israel, after a series of blistering Israeli attacks on Iran's nuclear program and its armed forces the previous day. Israel's assault on Friday used warplanes, as well as drones smuggled into the country in advance, to assault key facilities and kill top generals and scientists. Iran's UN ambassador said 78 people were killed and more than 320 wounded in the attacks. Israel said the barrage was necessary before Iran got any closer to building an atomic weapon, although experts and the U.S. government have assessed that Tehran was not actively working on such a weapon before the strikes. 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It says they were briefly hospitalized and sent home. This is the first report of military casualties in the operation. It gave no further details on where the soldiers were located. Iran's supreme leader names new head of the Revolutionary Guard's aerospace division Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has appointed Gen. Majid Mousavi, to replace Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike on Friday. The Guard's aerospace division oversees Iran's arsenal of ballistic missiles. Israel's main international airport will stay closed The airport authority says the it will stay closed until further notice. Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv was been closed to traffic since Israel attacked Iran's military and nuclear facilities on Friday morning and Iran retaliated with missile and drone strikes at Israel. The announcement came as Lebanon, Jordan and Syria said they were reopening their airspaces on Saturday after closing them. The pope appeals on Israel and Iran to show responsibility and act reasonably It was one of the strongest appeals for peace since the election in early May of the first American pontiff. 'The situation in Iran and Israel has seriously deteriorated,' Pope Leo XIV said during an audience in St. Peter's Basilica. He stressed that 'the commitment to building a safer world free from the nuclear threat must be pursued through respectful encounters and sincere dialogue to build a lasting peace.' Leo also noted that 'no one should ever threaten the existence of another.' Tehran smoke Smoke rises up after an explosion in Tehran, Iran, Friday, June 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi) Israel's defence minister says 'Tehran will burn' if it continues firing missiles Defense Minister Israel Katz issued the stark warning after an assessment meeting with the army's chief of staff. He says Iran will pay a heavy price for harming Israeli citizens. Israel's military threatens more strikes on targets in Iranian capital The Israeli military said around noon on Saturday that its fighter jets 'were set to resume striking targets in Tehran.' Meanwhile, the UN nuclear watchdog — the International Atomic Energy Agency — confirmed in a post on X that the Isfahan nuclear site in Iran was targeted several times on Friday. 'No increase in off-site radiation levels has been reported as of now,' the agency said. Israel building missile strike aftermath A person looks out at a destroyed residential building that was hit by a missile fired from Iran, in Ramat Gan, near Tel Aviv, Israel, on Saturday, June 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)c Syria also opens its airspace after the Israel-Iran deadly attacks Syria's civil aviation authority says it's reopening the airspace on Saturday but will follow the situation in the region and take any necessary measures if needed. The airspace was closed on Friday. National carrier Syrian Air also said it is resuming some of its flights. Iran confirms 2 more high-ranking generals were killed in Israeli strikes Iranian state television identified the two killed as Gen. Gholamreza Mehrabi, the deputy of intelligence for the armed forces' general staff, and Gen. Mehdi Rabbani, the deputy of operations. It did not say where the men were killed. Israel's strikes on Friday killed multiple high-ranking officers within Iran's armed forces, including the chief of staff of the army and the head of Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard. 3 injured in Jordan by unspecified falling object during Israel-Iran attacks Three people were wounded in Jordan's northern city of Irbid when an object fell on a home, state media reported Saturday. They were taken to a hospital and are in stable condition, the Jordan News Agency said. The report did not specify what the object was, but Iranian missiles and drones fired toward Israel flew over Jordan. Jordanian authorities have begun an investigation, the report said. Lebanon reopens its airspace after exchange of fire between Israel and Iran Lebanon reopened its airspace on Saturday morning, hours after closing it due to the exchange of fire between Israel and Iran. Lebanon's Ministry of Public Works and Transport apologized to passengers whose flights were delayed, saying it had closed the airspace late Friday for the safety of travelers. The airspace was reopened at 10 a.m. (0700 GMT) on Saturday. Israeli security forces Israeli security forces inspect destroyed residential buildings that were hit by a missile fired from Iran, in Ramat Gan, near Tel Aviv, Israel, on Saturday, June 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit) Satellite images confirm damage to Iran's ballistic missile arsenal Satellite images analyzed Saturday by The Associated Press began to confirm some of the damage sustained by Iran's ballistic missile arsenal by the Israeli assault on the country. Images from Planet Labs PBC taken Friday showed damage at two missile bases, one in Kermanshah and one in Tabriz, both in western Iran. At Kermanshah, where the base is up against a mountainside, burns could be seen across a wide area after the attack. In Tabriz, images showed damage at multiple sites on the base. Iran has not acknowledged the damage, though it reported on Israeli strikes in the area. Top Sunni university condemns Israel's attack on Iran Al-Azhar al-Sharif, the Sunni world's foremost institution of religious learning, has condemned Israel's attack on Iran, describing Israel as a 'rogue entity.' 'The arrogance displayed by the Israeli occupation reflects the darkest form of occupation in modern history,' the Cairo-based university said in a statement early Saturday. It called on the international community to take 'urgent actions to halt the repeated violations committed by this rogue entity.' Iran is a powerhouse of Shiite Muslims in the region and often at odds with Sunni nations. Israeli military says it hit dozens of targets in Iran overnight The Israeli military said it carried out overnight strikes on dozens of targets, including air defences, in the area of Iran's capital, Tehran. Maj. Gen. Tomer Bar, the Israeli air force commander, said the strikes carried 'operational and national significance.' Israel pauses natural gas supplies to Egypt, authorities in Cairo say Israel has paused natural gas supplies to Egypt amid its conflict with Iran, authorities in Cairo said. The move has forced the Egyptian government to stop supplying gas to some industries, according to a Friday statement from the Ministry of Petroleum. Some power plants that use natural gas in their operations have also reported fuel oil shortages amid peak summer demand, it said. Egypt faces a deepening domestic gas shortfall, with a more than 7 per cent shortage in its daily gas needs to operate its power grid. Iran's Foreign Ministry calls nuclear talks with U.S. 'meaningless' after Israeli strikes Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman on Saturday called further nuclear talks with the United States 'meaningless' after Israeli strikes on the country, state television said. The comments by Esmail Baghaei further threw possible talks between the two nations, initially scheduled to take place Sunday in Oman, into doubt. 'The U.S. did a job that made the talks become meaningless,' Baghaei was quoted as saying. He added that Israel has passed all Iran's red lines by committing a 'criminal act' through its strikes. However, he stopped short of saying the talks were cancelled. The Mizan news agency, which is run by Iran's judiciary, quoted him as saying: 'It is still not clear what we decide about Sunday talks.' Jordan will reopen its airspace to civilian aircraft Jordan will reopen its airspace to civilian aircraft on Saturday morning, its state-run media reported, signaling the Mideast kingdom believes there is no immediate danger of further attacks. Jordan's state-run Petra news agency said the skies would reopen at 7:30 a.m. local time. Jordan's airspace had seen Iranian drones and missiles cross through it, with Israeli fighter jets likely engaging targets there. The crossfire between Israel and Iran disrupted East-West travel through the Mideast, a key global aviation route. Woman dies in missile strike in Tel Aviv, hospital says A spokesperson for Beilinson Hospital in Tel Aviv said a woman was killed in an Iranian missile strike, bringing the total number of fatalities in the barrages from Iran to three. The hospital also treated seven people who were wounded in the strike early Saturday. Israel's Fire and Rescue Services said a projectile hit a building in the city. Tel Aviv projectile The trace of a projectile is seen before hitting Tel Aviv, Israel, early Saturday, June 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Leo Correa) Israel's paramedic service says 2 people killed when missile hit central Israel Israel's paramedic service Magen David Adom says an Iranian missile struck near homes in central Israel early Saturday morning, killing two people and injuring 19 others. Israel's Fire and Rescue service said four homes were severely damaged. UN chief calls for escalation to stop, saying 'peace and diplomacy must prevail' UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged Israel and Iran to halt their attacks on one another, while calling for diplomacy. 'Israeli bombardment of Iranian nuclear sites. Iranian missile strikes in Tel Aviv. Enough escalation. Time to stop. Peace and diplomacy must prevail,' Guterres wrote on X on Saturday. Iranian media reports a fire at Tehran's airport Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency is reporting a fire at Tehran's Mehrabad International Airport, posting a video on X of a column of smoke and orange flames rising from what the outlet said was the airport. A handful of minor injuries reported from second wave of Iranian missiles Ichilov hospital in Tel Aviv said it has treated seven people hurt by the second Iranian barrage; six had light injuries and the seventh was moderately wounded. Israel evacuation Paramedics evacuate a woman from a site that was struck by a missile fired from Iran, in Rishon Lezion, Israel, on Saturday, June 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg) Iran fires a second wave of missiles at Israel Sirens and the boom of explosions, possibly from Israeli interceptors, could be heard in the sky over Jerusalem and Tel Aviv early Saturday. AP journalists in Tel Aviv could see what appeared to be at least two Iranian missiles hit the ground, but there was no immediate word of casualties. The Israeli military said another long-range Iranian missile attack was taking place and urged civilians, already rattled by the first wave of projectiles, to head to shelter. Around three dozen people were wounded by that first wave. The Iranian outlet Nour News, which has close links with the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, said a fresh wave was being launched. Iranian air defences are firing against Israeli attacks The sound of explosions and Iranian air defence systems firing at targets was echoing across the center of the capital, Tehran, shortly after midnight on Saturday. Additionally, an Associated Press reporter could hear air raid sirens near their home. The Associated Press
