Syria has suspended flights to and from Iran until January 22 amid regional tensions, the head of Iran's Civil Aviation Organization announced Tuesday.

Hossein Pourfarzaneh added that flights will remain suspended until after the New Year holidays.

He also noted, "Even during the tensions in Syria, Iranian flights continued with special permits," but he did not provide further details on these permits.

It remains unclear exactly when the suspension of flights was implemented.

Israeli news website Walla reported on Sunday that the new government of Syria had decided to prevent all Iranian planes - including civilian ones - from flying over Syrian skies.