Israel-Iran conflict: Air India to resume Middle East, Europe flights on Tuesday; US, Canada operations next

NEW DELHI: Air India said on Tuesday that airlines would "progressively resume flights" to West Asia as airspace gradually reopens in parts of the conflict-hit region.

The airlines, however, said that most operations to and from the Middle East will resume from June 25.

"Flights to and from Europe, previously cancelled, are also being progressively reinstated from today, while services to and from the East Coast of the US and Canada will resume at the earliest opportunity. Some flights may experience delays or cancellations due to consequential impacts and extended re-routings/flight times, but we are committed to minimising disruptions and restoring our schedule integrity. Air India will continue to avoid airspaces assessed as unsafe at any given time," the Air India Spokesperson said.

The decision to resume operations comes hours after Israel and Iran accepted a ceasefire plan proposed by US President Donald Trump to end their 12-day war that has roiled the West Asia. The agreement followed Tehran’s retaliatory limited missile attack on a US military base in Qatar.

Both sides accepted the deal after Tehran launched a final onslaught of missiles targeting Israel, killing at least five people early Tuesday morning. In response, Israel carried out a blitz of airstrikes on sites across Iran before dawn.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel had agreed to a bilateral ceasefire with Iran in coordination with Trump.

Netanyahu told Israel’s security cabinet on Monday night that Israel had achieved all of its war goals in the 12-day operation against Iran. These, he said, included "removing the threat of Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs."

He added that Israel also damaged Iran’s military leadership, struck several government sites, and "achieved control over Tehran’s skies."

The Israeli PM, however, warned that Israel would respond "forcefully to any violation of the ceasefire”.