New York: As hostilities between Israel and Iran intensify, nations across the globe are accelerating evacuation operations to extract their citizens from the volatile region by air, land, and sea, reported the Times of India.
The ongoing conflict, marked by days of missile attacks and retaliatory strikes, has forced the closure of airspace across much of the Middle East, grounding commercial flights and severely disrupting travel. In response, several countries have activated emergency plans to evacuate their nationals through alternative routes, including via land borders to neighboring nations with functioning airports.
Bulgaria’s Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov announced the temporary relocation of the country’s diplomats from Tehran to Baku, Azerbaijan. A total of 89 Bulgarians, along with 59 other nationals from Slovenia, the US, Belgium, Albania, Kosovo, and Romania, were evacuated from Israel via Egypt’s Sharm el-Sheikh and flown to Sofia.
China confirmed that over 1,600 of its nationals were evacuated from Iran, with several hundred more removed from Israel. The Chinese Embassy in Israel has initiated group evacuations by bus, using the Taba border crossing into Egypt. Chinese citizens in Iran also crossed into Azerbaijan on their own, enduring long waits at the border.
The European Union has facilitated the evacuation of about 400 individuals from Israel through Jordan and Egypt, funding up to 75% of the transportation costs. The bloc is responding to evacuation requests from several member nations, including Slovakia, Lithuania, Greece, and Poland.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot stated that France is helping citizens leave Iran via Armenia and Turkey, and those in Israel via Jordan and Egypt. Evacuation convoys are being arranged for those unable to travel independently.
Germany has already flown back over 300 people on special flights from Amman. However, the German Foreign Ministry opted against organizing travel to the Jordanian capital, citing safety concerns and logistical challenges due to the scattered locations of German nationals in Israel.
Many other countries, including India, have also begun large-scale evacuation efforts to bring back their citizens stranded amid the crisis.
As regional tensions grow, the global effort to ensure the safety of foreign nationals reflects the gravity of the crisis and the potential for broader escalation.
