Baghdad: Iraq reopened its airspace on Monday, the country’s civil aviation body said, following Iran’s announcement that it was halting its military operations against Israel.

According to Anadolu Agency, the Civil Aviation Authority announced the reopening of “Iraqi airspace to flights to and from all airports” and stated that it would continue to “monitor and assess the regional situation.” This decision came after a 72-hour closure of Iraq’s airspace, which was implemented on Sunday evening following Iranian missile strikes on Israel. These were the first attacks since a ceasefire in the conflict involving the US, Israel, and Iran began on April 8.

Iran’s military declared early Monday that it was ceasing attacks on Israel, cautioning that any continuation of Israeli attacks against Lebanon would result in a ‘crushing’ response. Despite this announcement, Israel has yet to formally declare an end to its military actions against Iran.

The situation intensified on Sunday when Israel conducted bombing raids on Beirut, the capital of Lebanon, despite the existing ceasefire. In retaliation, Iran launched missiles targeting northern Israel, which led to several waves of Israeli airstrikes against Iran.

The region has been on high alert since late February when the US and Israel initiated airstrikes on Iran, sparking Iranian retaliation against Israel and other regional nations hosting US military assets. A temporary ceasefire was agreed upon on April 8, but subsequent negotiations have faced obstacles due to disagreements over its execution and other regional developments.