TEL AVIV/TEHRAN, June 17: Several countries are evacuating their citizens from Israel and Iran amid the escalating conflict between the two nations, which has included mutual missile strikes and rising civilian casualties, German Press Agency (dpa) reported.
Germany is organising charter flights from the Jordanian capital Amman to the western German city of Frankfurt on Wednesday, the German Foreign Office said on Monday, as Israeli airspace is currently closed due to missile exchanges with Iran.
Germans seeking to depart Israel must independently organise their transport to Jordan, the ministry said. Departures via Egypt are also possible.
Poland on Monday launched an evacuation plan for its citizens in Israel. A convoy will travel overland to neighbouring Jordan, from where evacuees will be flown to Poland, Deputy Foreign Minister Henryka Mościcka-Dendys announced in Warsaw.
Around 200 people have reportedly registered for the operation. There are no plans at this stage to evacuate Polish citizens from the broader Middle East, the deputy minister said.
Meanwhile, Slovakia has begun airlifting Slovakians and other EU citizens from Israel via Jordan and Cyprus.
The first flight to Bratislava carried 73 people, including 30 Slovakian citizens and 43 other EU citizens, the foreign ministry in Bratislava announced late Monday. Further evacuation flights are planned for Tuesday and Wednesday.
Elsewhere, Russia evacuated citizens from Iran. Russia’s human rights chief Tatyana Moskalkova wrote on Telegram that a group of 86 people were evacuated into Azerbaijan on Saturday. On Sunday, border crossings were organised for another 238 Russians, including families of diplomats.
Russia has close relations with Tehran, which has supplied masses of drones for the Russian war in Ukraine.
China, which also maintains close economic and diplomatic ties with Iran, has advised its citizens to leave Israel.
In a statement issued by the Chinese embassy in Tel Aviv on Tuesday, the diplomatic mission urged Chinese nationals to exit the country as soon as possible via land borders, recommending the crossing into Jordan.
On Friday, Israel launched widespread strikes on Iranian territory, including nuclear sites, defence installations, urban targets, and oil and gas infrastructure. Tehran called these a declaration of war and retaliated. – TVS
