Switzerland says it refused two US requests to fly over its territory in operations linked to the current Middle East war, citing its neutrality under international law, AFP reports.

“In total, two requests linked to the war in Iran were refused, while a maintenance flight and two requests for transport aircraft were approved”, the government has said in a statement.

The two Swiss flight refusals concerned reconnaissance flights on March 15, the government adds.

“The law of neutrality prohibits overflights by parties to a conflict for military purposes related to that conflict,” the statement reads, referring to the US-Israeli war with Iran.

Flights for humanitarian or medical purposes, including the transport of wounded people and flights unrelated to the conflict, remain permitted, it said.

Switzerland has been officially recognised as a neutral country by the international community since 1815.