Iraq extends airspace closure for additional 24 hours amid ongoing regional conflict

BAGHDAD — Iraq’s Civil Aviation Authority extended the country’s airspace closure for an additional 24 hours on Sunday, covering all arriving, departing and transit flights until noon Monday.

The authority said the extension was based on “the ongoing assessment of the security situation and in light of developments and regional tensions,” adding that the decision would be reassessed as events unfold and that airlines would be notified of any updates.

Iraq first closed its airspace Saturday following coordinated U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran and subsequent Iranian missile and drone launches across the region. Projectiles targeting sites near Erbil International Airport were intercepted, and debris from one caused a residential fire in Erbil’s Minara neighborhood. Drone attacks on military sites in Dhi Qar and Basra were shot down by Iraqi defenses, and airstrikes on Jurf al-Nasr in Babil killed two fighters and wounded three.

The government has declared three days of nationwide mourning following the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and renewed calls for an immediate halt to military operations.