Iranian dissident Hamed Esmaeilion urged travelers to cancel domestic and international flights from Iran fearing a repeat of the tragic 2020 IRGC downing of a Ukrainian airliner, killing all 176 crew and passengers. 

As Tehran threatens retaliatory action for the Israeli airstrike on its consulate in Damascus, Esmaeilion, who lost family in the tragedy, warned of the risk of civilians being caught in the crossfire.

In January 2020 when Iran’s top military commander Qasem Soleimani was killed in a US drone strike in Iraq, the IRGC days later downed a Ukrainian airliner, claiming it was accidental. After the Damascus strike, in which at least two IRGC commanders and several other personnel were killed, Tehran has voiced clear intentions for retaliation.

“In these situations, governments only think about the health of their military forces, and domestic and foreign airlines only think about their financial profits and losses. The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) does not care about the safety of aircrafts and passengers at these times,” the dissident said, warning of the dangers of the current uncertainty.

Esmaeilion stated that when civilians are “the most vulnerable targets of the Islamic Republic and the IRGC’s criminal commanders,” Iranians should themselves prioritize their safety and cancel their flights.

His remarks came just hours after German Lufthansa Airlines suspended all its flights to and from Tehran given the rising tensions in the region.

Citing unnamed American and Israeli officials, Bloomberg reported on Wednesday that a major missile or drone attack by Iran or its proxies on Israel seems imminent in the coming days.