The European Union Aviation Safety Agency said on Wednesday that airlines should not operate within the airspace of Iran, Iraq, and Lebanon due to tensions and the potential for further military action, as the US and Iran exchanged fresh attacks.

The advisory, which does not include Israel, came amid ongoing uncertainty surrounding flights to and from the Middle East since the US-Israeli war with Iran began at the end of February. Despite a ceasefire that began in early April, the conflict has seen multiple flare-ups of violence in recent weeks. Many major carriers have suspended flights to Israel for the near future, though some routes have resumed.

The EASA said its bulletin for the airspaces of Iran, Iraq and Lebanon was valid until August 31. The agency said it had withdrawn its previous bulletin, which also asked airlines to exercise caution when operating within the airspace of Israel as well as Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan, Qatar, Oman, the UAE and Saudi Arabia.

It was not immediately clear whether it would issue a new advisory for those nations.

EASA said the implementation of the US-Iran ceasefire remained fragile, and its advisory decision was based on “ongoing high level of tensions and the potential........

© The Times of Israel