A heavy flight of US-led coalition warplanes have reportedly been seen flying over the Iraqi border as a nerve gas counter attack looms. Civilian planes were said to have been ordered to clear the airspace over Syria by the US military for at least 48 hours as flight radar shows aircraft diverting. European air traffic controllers issued a “rapid alert” for airlines in the Eastern Mediterranean over the possibility of air strikes into Syria within the next 72 hours.
The European Aviation Security Agency’s (EASA) warning of possible launches of air-to-ground strikes or cruise missiles comes as the US, Britain, France and allies weigh up retaliatory measures to a suspected chemical weapon attack in Syria. Nafiseh Kohnavard, a reporter for the BBC, tweeted: “Airlines that are still using Syria’s airspace have received a request to change their corridors for the next 48 hours. READ MORE
