Iraq closes airspace for civilian flights

BAGHDAD -- Iraq suspended all civilian flights within its airspace on Saturday, as a precaution to ensure the safety and security of civil aviation amid regional tensions, the Iraqi Civil Aviation Authority said on Saturday.

The closure became effective from 11:30 pm local time (2030 GMT) on Saturday to 05:30 am local time (0230 GMT) on Sunday, the authority said, indicating that this suspension might be prolonged if necessary.

Reports from Iraqi media on Saturday evening suggested that several Iranian drones had traversed Iraqi airspace en route to Israel.

This development follows Iran's repeated declarations of intent to conduct retaliatory attacks against Israel for the deaths of seven Iranian individuals in a strike on Iran's consular building in Damascus, Syria on April 1.