The German air carrier Lufthansa and the Austrian subsidiary of Austrian Airlines announced yesterday Friday the suspension of their flights to and from Tehran until at least next Thursday, April 18, while they also announced that as a precaution their aircraft will not pass through the airspace of the Islamic Republic of Iran, against the background of the continued escalation of tension in the Middle East.

“Due to the current situation” Lufthansa is suspending “its flights to or from Tehran until April 18, following a careful assessment” of the risks, a company spokesman explained.

“The company will also not use Iranian airspace,” he added.

The German group initially announced on Wednesday that it had suspended its flights until Thursday, then extended the measure until today (Saturday). In practice, services have been suspended since April 6.

Austrian Airlines announced a similar measure yesterday. “The safety of our passengers and crew is our absolute priority,” the company explained in a press release obtained by AFP, adding that it “constantly assesses the situation in the Middle East.”

The airline announcements came after Iran said it would retaliate against arch-enemy Israel following a bombing of the Iranian consulate in the Syrian capital Damascus that killed 16 people, including two sub-generals of the Revolutionary Guards, an elite body of the Iranian armed forces.