The Jordanian Civil Aviation Regulatory Authority announced, on Saturday evening, that the Kingdom decided to temporarily close Jordanian airspace to all incoming, departing and crossing aircraft, “in light of the escalation of surrounding risks in the region.”
The authority explained in a statement published by the Jordan News Agency:PetraThis comes as “the closure will be starting at 20:00 UTC, that is, 11:00 pm local time, for the next several hours, and this will be continuously updated and reviewed according to developments.”
The authority attributed “the goal of the decision to maintaining the safety and security of civil aviation in Jordanian airspace, in light of the escalation of surrounding risks in the region, and after assessing the risks in accordance with internationally followed standards.”
Iran pledged to respond to a strike that targeted its consulate in Damascus, on April 1, and led to the killing of seven Revolutionary Guard members, including two senior officers, according to Agence France-Presse.
On Saturday, the Netherlands announced the closure of its embassy in Iran and its consulate in Erbil, the capital of the Iraqi Kurdistan region, “as a preventive measure.” On Friday, the German airline Lufthansa and its subsidiary Austrian Airlines announced the suspension of flights to and from Tehran, until Thursday, April 18.
Several countries, including France, Germany, and the United States, renewed their calls on their citizens not to go to Iran.
While Israel is on high alert in anticipation of a retaliatory response, Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hagari said in a statement on Saturday that “Iran will bear the consequences of the option to escalate the situation further.”
He stated, “We have strengthened our readiness to protect Israel from a new Iranian attack. We, in turn, are ready to respond.”
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