According to the Wall Street Journal, this announcement came after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken's warning on August 4 to the G7 Foreign Ministers that Iran could attack Israel within 24 to 48 hours.
According to RT, the announcement from Tehran about avoiding the country's airspace is the type of announcement that aviation authorities use to provide necessary real-time information to pilots. The announcement is essentially a warning to commercial and civil aviation to stay out of Iranian airspace.
Currently, Israel is preparing to respond to a potential attack from Iran. Iranian officials have vowed to retaliate for the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran last week.
Although Israel neither confirmed nor denied its involvement, it is prepared to deal with and respond to any retaliatory attack. The US has also announced it will help protect the Jewish state.
In April, Iran fired hundreds of missiles and drones at Israel in response to Israel's bombing of its consulate in Syria. Although the attack was mainly countered by Israel's Iron Dome air defense system, some missiles still reached their targets, causing minimal damage to Israeli military facilities.
On August 5, Israeli media reported that the country could conduct a "pre-emptive strike" on Iran if it receives intelligence that Tehran will definitely launch a revenge attack. This shows that the situation is becoming very tense and at risk of exploding into a larger conflict.
Iran's warning to civilian aircraft to stay out of its airspace is a clear sign that the country is preparing for a strong and potentially dangerous response to international aviation. In this tense context, the international community is watching closely to ensure regional safety and stability.
