Flights to Israel, Iran, Lebanon cancelled amid fears of regional war

Airlines are avoiding Israeli, Iranian and Lebanese airspace and cancelling flights to Tel Aviv, Tehran and Beirut, as concerns grow over a possible larger war in the region after the assassinations of senior members of resistance group Hamas and Hezbollah this week by US-backed Israel.

Singapore Airlines stopped flying through Iranian airspace from early Friday morning and is using alternative routes, saying safety is its top priority, it told the Reuters news agency in a statement.

Taiwan's EVA Air and China Airlines also appeared to be avoiding Iran airspace for flights to Amsterdam on Friday which previously had flown over Iran, Flightradar24 data showed.

The airlines did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the route changes.

In a bulletin, OPSGROUP, a membership-based organisation that shares flight risk information, advised traffic between Asia and Europe to avoid Iranian and Iraqi airspace, a day after sources told Reuters that top Iranian officials will meet the representatives of Iran's regional allies from Lebanon, Iraq and Yemen to discuss potential retaliation against Israel.

Many airlines, including US and European airlines, already avoid flying over Iran, especially since the reciprocal missile and drone attacks in April between Iran and Israel.

Singapore Airlines' flight to London Heathrow early on Friday went north of Iran through Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan, rather than crossing through Iran as it did the day before, Flightradar24 showed.

However, a significant number of airlines on Friday were still flying over Iran, including United Arab Emirates carriers Etihad, Emirates and FlyDubai, as well as Qatar Airways and Turkish Airlines.

Turkish Airlines however announced late on Friday that it postponed all flights to Iran.

Flights planned to several locations in Iran are expected to resume early Saturday, according to information obtained by Anadolu Agency.

Flights to Tel Aviv, Beirut suspended

Over the past two days, Air India, Germany's Lufthansa Group, US carriers United Airlines and Delta Air, and Italy's ITA Airways said they had suspended flights to Tel Aviv.

Airlines this week have also been cancelling and delaying flights to the Lebanese capital, Beirut.

Canada on Thursday issued a notice to Canadian aircraft to avoid Lebanese airspace for one month due to the risk to aviation from military activity.

Britain has, for the past month, advised pilots of potential risks from anti-aircraft weaponry and military activity in Lebanon's airspace.

Should an all-out war break out in the Middle East, OpsGroup said civil aviation will likely face the risk of drones and missiles crossing airways, as well as the increased risk of GPS spoofing — a growing phenomena around Lebanon and Israel where militaries and other actors broadcast signals that trick a plane's GPS system into thinking it is somewhere it is not.

Mounting tensions

Israel escalated tensions in the region after assassinating both Hezbollah leader Fuad Shukr in Beirut and Hamas' political bureau chief and lead peace negotiator Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, Iran.

UN Security Council members blasted Israel for destroying peace efforts.

On Friday, Washington announced it would send navy cruisers, destroyers and fighter jets to the Middle East to bolster support for its ally Israel which has torpedoed ceasefire attempts in besieged Gaza for months and now prepared ground for a larger war by attacking Iran and Lebanon this week.