Air France has opened an investigation into how a jet flying from Paris to Dubai flew over Iraq while Iranian missiles fired at Israel crossed the same airspace, the airline said on Wednesday.
Iran launched dozens of rockets towards Israel on October 1, saying it was a response to the assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and others in Lebanon. The missiles had to pass through Iraqi airspace to reach Israel.
Air France Flight AF662 was flying over Iraq when the Iranian attack began around 4:45 PM UTC (11:45 AM ET) and left Iraqi airspace “shortly before” 5:00 PM UTC (12:00 PM ET), the airline told CNN in a statement.
Iraqi airspace was not officially closed by local authorities until 5:56 PM UTC (12:56 PM ET), it added.
“The information we collected allowed us to identify an impending attack on Israel by Iran involving the launch of ballistic missiles,” Air France said.
“As a result, and without waiting for instructions from the Iraqi authorities, Air France has decided to suspend the overflight of the country’s airspace by its aircraft from 5:00 PM UTC. [12 p.m. ET],” it added.
The airline said its planes were “already avoiding Israeli, Lebanese and Iranian airspace” and that flight AF662 flew through “a special corridor used by all airlines.”
Just hours before the attack, the White House said it had “indications that Iran is preparing to launch an early ballistic missile attack on Israel.”
Air France stressed that some of its other flights had been diverted to avoid the region on the night of the attack.
“Air France constantly monitors geopolitical developments in the areas it serves and flies over to ensure the highest level of flight safety and security,” the company said, adding that “the safety of its customers and crews is top priority.”
French television channel LCI, which first reported the incident, said Air France pilots saw the missiles from the cockpit in the night sky and that Iraqi air traffic control had wished the pilots “good luck.”
When asked by CNN, an Air France spokesperson did not confirm that the pilots saw missiles flying past.
The incident comes as the conflict in the Middle East continues to escalate. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned the Lebanese people that they are in danger of falling “into the abyss of a long war” as his country escalates its attacks on Hezbollah, which continues to fire rockets into northern Israel.
Israel’s cabinet is also considering how to respond to the October 1 Iranian attack, after vowing that Tehran “will pay” for launching its largest-ever attack on Israel.
Meanwhile, the Israeli offensive in Gaza continues. Palestinians fleeing sites of Israel’s renewed military operation in northern Gaza Strip are being shot at as they evacuate, according to residents there and footage shared with CNN documenting their journey.
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