LONDON(RAHNUMA): Syrian authorities postponed all flights scheduled for Monday to transport pilgrims from Madinah in Saudi Arabia to the airports in Aleppo and Damascus due to the resumption of fighting between Iran and Israel.
The Ministry of Awqaf announced that two aircraft carrying nearly 700 Syrian pilgrims were diverted to the airport in Amman, Jordan. The pilgrims boarded buses on Monday to travel to Damascus and Aleppo, each bus carrying 35 to 40 passengers.
Syria and Iraq have temporarily closed their airspaces after Iran launched missiles against Israel, with the latter responding with airstrikes in the late hours of Sunday and early Monday.
Iraq initially announced a 72-hour closure of its airspace on Sunday evening. Both airspaces are now open; however, several flights were canceled as the regional war that erupted in late February continues to drag on.
Syrian authorities said that 24,500 pilgrims took part in this year’s pilgrimage to Makkah and Madinah, which concluded in late May.
The first flights of pilgrims returned to Damascus last Monday on a Syrian Airlines flight from Jeddah, carrying 134 passengers, according to the Syrian Arab News Agency.
The US and Israel’s war on Iran has disrupted aviation in the Middle East as the warring parties launched airstrikes, ballistic missiles, and combat drones. Last week, Iran struck Kuwait International Airport with drones, causing damage to a passenger terminal, killing one person and injuring 60 others.
