Iraq reopens airspace after Iran halts strikes on Israel

Iraq reopened its airspace on Monday, the country's civil aviation body said, following Iran's announcement that it was halting its military operations against Israel.

The Civil Aviation Authority was reopening "Iraqi airspace to flights to and from all airports" and will continue to "monitor and assess the regional situation", it said in a statement.

It had announced a 72-hour closure of Iraq’s airspace on Sunday evening after Iranian missile strikes on Israel, the first since a ceasefire in the war between the US, Israel and Iran began on April 8.

Iran’s military said early Monday it was halting attacks on Israel, warning of a “crushing” response if Israeli attacks against Lebanon continued.

Israel, however, has not officially announced an end to its attacks against Iran.
Tensions escalated on Sunday, when Israel bombed the Lebanese capital Beirut, despite an ongoing ceasefire, prompting Iran to launch missiles at northern Israel in retaliation, with Israel launching several waves of airstrikes against Iran.

The region has been on edge since the US and Israel launched airstrikes on Iran in late February, triggering Iranian retaliation on Israel and other regional countries hosting US assets.

A temporary ceasefire was reached on April 8, but negotiations later stalled amid disputes over its implementation and subsequent regional developments.