Iran warns airlines to avoid its airspace for 3 hours on Thursday over military drills, Egypt says

CAIRO (AP) — Egypt’s Civil Aviation Ministry said Wednesday it has ordered Egyptian airlines to avoid Iranian airspace for three hours the following day after a notice from Tehran to do so because of military exercises.

The warning comes amid soaring tensions in the region following last week’s assassination of Hamas’ leader in Tehran. The Egyptian ministry said the warning came in a notice sent by Iran to all commercial airlines.

The ministry said the ban from Iranian airspace was to last for three hours, 4:30 a.m. to 7:30 a.m. on Thursday. Iran’s warning also covered three hours earlier on Wednesday, the ministry added.

Speaking to Iran’s ISNA news agency, the head of Iran’s international airport in Tehran, Saeed Chalandari, denied reports of a warning against entering the airspace of western Iran, but it was not clear if that applied to the entire country.

Israel has been bracing for an attack by Iran and its allied militias over the assassinations in Tehran of Hamas’ top leader Ismail Haniyeh and a senior Hezbollah commander in Beirut.

Iran and Hamas have blamed Israel for the July 31 explosion in Tehran that killed Haniyeh. Israel has neither confirmed nor denied responsibility.

The escalation prompted many international carriers to suspend flights to Lebanon, Israel and Iran.