Egypt tells airlines to avoid Iran airspace Thursday morning

Egypt instructed all of its airlines to avoid Iranian airspace for a three-hour period in the early morning on Thursday.

The NOTAM, a safety notice provided to pilots on Wednesday, said the instruction would be in effect from 0100 to 0400 GMT.

It provided no further details as to why the notice was issued.

An Egyptian official was quoted by the state-affiliated Al Qahera News TV as saying that the Iranian authorities said to avoid flying in Iranian airspace because of “military exercises.”

“Based on a report from Iranian authorities to all civil aviation companies, flights over Iranian airspace are to be avoided,” the unnamed official was quoted as saying.

Iran’s new president, Masoud Pezeshkian, however, asked Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei to refrain from attacking Israel, according to Iran International.

French President Emmanuel Macron told Pezeshkian in a phone call on Wednesday that he must do everything in his power to avoid escalation in the region and that the cycle of retaliation must stop, the Elysee Palace said.