Iran extends cancelation of flights until Sunday afternoon: Ministry

Tehran, June 22 (IANS) Iran's Ministry of Roads and Urban Development announced the suspension of flights to and from the country will be extended until 14:00 Sunday local time (1030 GMT), the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported.

The restrictions on Iran's airspace would remain in place, to ensure the safety of passengers and flights, unless the country's conditions return to normal, Tasnim quoted the ministry's spokesman Majid Akhavan as saying.

Iran announced the closure of its airspace after Israel on June 13 launched airstrikes on the Iranian capital Tehran and other areas across the country, Xinhua news agency reported.

Several senior military commanders and nuclear scientists were killed in the Israeli strikes. In retaliation, Iran has carried out missile and drone attacks on various locations in Israel, causing casualties and substantial damage. The conflict has continued into Saturday.

Meanwhile, Israeli attacks on Iran over the past nine days have killed over 400 Iranians and left 3,056 others wounded, Hossein Kermanpour, head of the Iranian Health Ministry's public relations, said on Saturday.

"Among the injured, 2,220 have been treated and discharged from Ministry of Health hospitals, while 232 received outpatient care at the scene of the attacks," Kermanpour said in a post on social media platform X.

According to the health official, the majority of the casualties have been civilians, with 54 women and children among those killed in the Israeli strikes.

--IANS

int/rs