This picture shows the empty departures hall at Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv after Israel closed its air space to takeoff and landing. AFP
"There is no date or day set to reopen the airport," airport spokeswoman Lisa Diver told AFP.
The closure follows Israel’s airstrikes on military and nuclear sites across Iran early Friday, including the Natanz facility, which killed 78 people, including senior military officials and scientists, and injured more than 320 others, most of them civilians, including women and children, according to Iranian figures.
Speaking at an emergency UN Security Council session late on Friday, Iran's UN envoy Saeed Iravani said his country reserves the right to respond “at a time, in a place, and by means of its choosing.”
Iran has since retaliated by launching waves of drones and ballistic missiles at Israeli cities, killing at least three people and wounding dozens.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in a recorded message Friday: "We will not allow them (Israel) to escape safely from this great crime they committed."
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz on Saturday warned that "Tehran will burn" if Iran fired more missiles at Israel, as the arch foes traded fire for a second day.
The US military is assisting in intercepting Iranian missiles, a US official said, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss ongoing operations. The official added that Washington has been moving assets closer to Israel to bolster missile defences and enhance protection of US bases in the region.
Earlier on Saturday, an AFP journalist reported seeing fire and heavy smoke billow from Mehrabad airport in the Iranian capital, as local media reported a blast in the area.
The local IRNA news agency shared a video showing columns of heavy smoke rising from the area of the airport in western Tehran, while Mehr news agency reported a "blast" there.
*This story was edited by Ahram Online.
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