Lufthansa stops using Iran airspace and keeps halt on Tehran flights

Planes of German airline Lufthansa are grounded during a strike action by ground crews, services staff and security personnel, at Munich International Airport in Munich, southern Germany, on February 20, 2024. (AFP)
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Updated 13 April 2024
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Lufthansa stops using Iran airspace and keeps halt on Tehran flights

  • “The safety of our guests and crew members is Lufthansa’s top priority,” a spokesperson said
  • Israel has killed more than 33,000 Palestinians in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory

FRANKFURT, Germany: German airline Lufthansa said Friday its planes would no longer use Iranian airspace as it extended a suspension on flights to and from Tehran amid soaring Middle East tensions.
“Due to the current situation, Lufthansa is suspending its flights to and from Tehran up to and including Thursday, 18 April,” a company spokesperson said Friday.
“The airline is also no longer using Iranian airspace.”
Its subsidiary Austrian Airlines followed suit.
The flights to the Iranian capital have been suspended since April 6.
Lufthansa did not outline the immediate reasons for the suspension.
In a statement, Austrian Airlines cited “the current situation in the Middle East.”
“For Austrian Airlines, the safety of its passengers and crews has top priority. The situation in the Middle East is being evaluated on an ongoing basis. To this end, Austrian is in close contact with the authorities.”
The move comes after Iran blamed arch-foe Israel for a strike in Syria this month that killed two Iranian generals, and threatened reprisals.
Israel has stepped up strikes against Iran-linked targets in Syria since the war in the Gaza Strip began in October.
 

 


US to host conference on stabilization force plans

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US to host conference on stabilization force plans

  • Then, according to the Trump peace plan, as the ISF establishes control and stability, Israeli troops will gradually withdraw “based on standards, milestones, and timeframes linked to demilitarization”

WASHINGTON: The US Central Command will host a conference in Doha on Dec.16 with partner nations to plan the International Stabilization Force for Gaza, two US officials said.
More than 25 countries are expected to send representatives to the conference, which will include sessions on the command structure and other issues related to the Gaza force, the officials said.
International troops could be deployed in the Gaza Strip as early as next month to form the stabilization force, the officials said.
They said many countries had expressed interest in contributing, and US officials are currently determining the size of the ISF, its composition, housing, training, and rules of engagement.

BACKGROUND

Indonesia has said it is prepared to deploy up to 20,000 troops to take on health and constructionrelated tasks in Gaza.

“There is a lot of quiet planning that’s going on behind the scenes right now for phase two of the peace deal,” said White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt. 
“We want to ensure an enduring and lasting peace.”
Indonesia has said it is prepared to deploy up to 20,000 troops to take on health and construction-related tasks in Gaza.
“It is still in the planning and preparation stages,” said Rico Sirait, spokesperson of the Indonesian Defense Ministry. 
“We are now preparing the organizational structure of the forces to be deployed.”
Israel still controls 53 percent of Gaza, while nearly all the 2 million people in the enclave live in the remaining Hamas-held area. The plan — which needs to be finalized by the so-called Board of Peace — is for the ISF to deploy in the area held by Israel, the US officials said.
Then, according to the Trump peace plan, as the ISF establishes control and stability, Israeli troops will gradually withdraw “based on standards, milestones, and timeframes linked to demilitarization.”