Flight map shows how airlines scrambled to clear war zones

Flight data has revealed how airplanes flying over the Middle East scrambled to clear the air above the region in the minutes after Iran launched nearly 200 missiles at Israel . In a major escalation by Iran, 181 missiles began raining down on Israel on Tuesday night, with some rockets dramatically exploding into bright orange flames near Tel Aviv as air raid sirens sounded.

It prompted celebrations in Tehran, where Israeli flags were paraded through the streets and set alight by thousands of revelers. For all the celebrations in Iran, countless plane passengers were left terrified as scores of aircraft hastily diverted from the region as the missiles were fired. Mapped data from FlightRadar24 showed hundreds of planes flying normally over Iraq , Iran and Syria in the moments before they were told about the missiles.

But they could be seen escaping the countries’ airspace as the nearly 200 missiles were fired. One plane was seen entering Iran’s northern border, before quickly U-turning and exiting the same way it came. Another plane that was flying over Turkey promptly turned around at the time of the attack.

Falling projectiles burned like comets against the night sky after they were intercepted by Israel’s ‘Iron Dome’, supported by US naval and air forces. The White House said Iran’s missile volley was ‘defeated and ineffective’, with just one reported death – a Palestinian man who was killed by shrapnel in the West Bank. Still, the aerial assault forced civilians across Israel to seek shelter as huge chunks of molten metal crashed to the ground, and was ‘twice the scope’ of Tehran’s bombardment in April, which saw more than 170 explosive drones and 120 ballistic missiles launched.

In the wake of the attack, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran considers the matter ‘concluded… unless Israeli regime decides to invite further retaliation. In that scenario, our response will be stronger and more powerful.’ He added that Iran informed the US that the ‘operation is over and we do not intend to continue’. Araghchi also styled the attack as ‘self-defense’ and noted that Iran had ‘exercised tremendous restraint’ after the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran in July.

But Israeli sources told Axios all options were on the table for retaliation despite Iran’s threats – including targeting oil and even nuclear facilities. Retired US Army Colonel Jonathan Sweet and security expert Mark Toth told MailOnline that Israel could cripple Iran’s burgeoning nuclear program, in line with Naftali Bennett’s calls.

‘(An Israeli attack) could take the form of the IDF striking Iran’s nuclear sites in an effort to kill two birds with one stone: deterrence and markedly setting back Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s nuclear weapons program. ‘Israel could deploy one or all of its long-range assets to strike those targets – F-35 stealth fighter-bombers, precision deep-strike ballistic missiles, and/or ICBM-equipped submarines.’

Matthew Savill, Director of Military Sciences at the RUSI think tank, added: ‘Israel can’t be in the position of tolerating direct attacks from ballistic missiles on its territory, especially if those attacks increase in scale and begin to put pressure on the missile defense system.

‘At the lower end of the spectrum for a military response would be a reminder of its conventional superiority, striking Iranian military targets which emphasize and widen that gap, such as missile defense and radar sites inside Iran. Ballistic missile production, storage or operation sites would serve the dual purpose of widening the gap and removing threats to Israel. ‘Moving up the scale, ports or Iranian infrastructure, including oil production facilities, could be attacked to emphasize the damage that Israel can do to Iran. At the top end would be senior Iranian officials and the Iranian nuclear program.’

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