Iran’s Civil Aviation Organization has announced the suspension of flights to Syria citing the ongoing special circumstances in the country. This decision comes months after the suspension of religious visits. Mohammad Mohammadi Bakhsh, the head of the organization, mentioned that the suspension excludes routine and occasional flights, although the specifics of these occasional trips were not specified. Regarding religious visits by Iranian pilgrims to Syria, Mohammadi Bakhsh stated that the Iranian Foreign Ministry will announce the resumption of such trips once the reasons for the suspension cease to exist, as reported by the Iranian news agency Ilna.
On October 15, Iran’s Hajj and Umrah Organization suspended all religious visits to Syria, coinciding with the onset of Israeli aggression on Gaza and subsequent targeting of Iranian advisors and assets within Syria. Israel has adjusted its strategies following the Al-Aqsa Flood, engaging in more frequent and lethal airstrikes targeting Iranian arms transfers and air defense systems in Syria. Recently, Israeli warplanes carried out an airstrike in the city of Banias on the Syrian coast, resulting in the assassination of Reda Zarei, an advisor to the IRGC’s First Maritime Region Command. Zarei’s assassination brings the death toll of Iranian “revolutionary freedom” advisors in Syria since the commencement of the Gaza war in October 2023 to 8, occurring in various regions across Syria’s geography.
This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
