Countries evacuate citizens from Israel and Iran as war intensifies

Countries around the world are evacuating their citizens from Israel and Iran as flights are scrapped and airspace closed due to the air war in the Middle East.

Hundreds of flights have been cancelled or delayed. Most European evacuees leaving Israel have been taken by bus to Jordan or Egypt before flying to their home country.

China, India, Pakistan and other states have started the process in Iran.

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It comes as Israel and Iran trade strikes and threats on the sixth day of the conflict. Adding to the tension, US President Donald Trump called for Tehran to surrender late on Tuesday before Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei refused to back down in a speech broadcast on Wednesday.

China has evacuated nearly 800 citizens and has started moving some others from Tehran to Turkmenistan by bus, a distance of 1,150km, the state-run China News Service reported.

A representative for the country's foreign ministry said it had not received any reports of Chinese casualties. A total of 791 Chinese nationals "have already been relocated from Iran to safe areas, and over 1,000 more are in the process of being evacuated,” the representative said.

India’s Foreign Ministry said Indian students in Tehran have been moved out of the city, with media reports suggesting 110 have been relocated.

“Other residents who are self-sufficient in terms of transport have also been advised to move out of the city in view of the developing situation,” the ministry said. Some Indians have also been able to leave Iran through the Armenian border, it added.

The US is working to evacuate citizens from Israel by arranging flights and cruise ship departures, ambassador Mike Huckabee said in a post on X on Wednesday. The US embassy in Jerusalem was working on the evacuation arrangements, he said, urging Americans in the country to sign up for updates through the State Department's Smart Traveller programme.

Hundreds of Pakistanis living in Iran arrived at the Taftan border crossing on Wednesday as they make their way back home.

Although Pakistan has shut some of the formal crossings, the borders at Taftan and Gabd-Rimdan in south-west Balochistan province remain open for nationals seeking to return home.

Bulgarian authorities said that 148 people – 89 Bulgarian citizens and 59 foreign nationals – were successfully evacuated from Israel on Wednesday. The foreign ministry said a chartered flight from Egypt was arranged after the evacuees were transported from Israel to Egypt by road.

Diplomatic staff evacuations

The families of British diplomatic staff in Israel have been “temporarily withdrawn”, the UK Foreign Office said. British citizens have already been advised against all travel to Israel and those already in the country have been urged to register their presence with the embassy.

Earlier in the week, Downing Street said the UK had no plans to evacuate British nationals stranded in Israel but had increased support in Jordan and Egypt for people making their own way out of the country overland.

Germany has said its citizens must travel by their own means to Amman before boarding charter flights to Frankfurt. Around 4,000 of its citizens in Israel and 1,000 in Iran have registered on a crisis list, the ministry said.

Cyprus, the EU country closest to the Middle East, has activated its Estia plan to assist evacuations from nearby countries. Estia was last activated in October, when Israel launched a bombing campaign against Lebanon.

Poland has also evacuated 200 citizens from Israel and Jordan and moved its diplomatic staff in Iran to Baku, Azerbaijan. “We have decided to evacuate or support the departure of staff who do not need to remain in the country, so-called non-essential personnel,” said Deputy Foreign Minister Henryka Moscicka-Dendys.

“Our colleagues will try to reach the border with Azerbaijan,” she said, without specifying how many people were involved.

Border nations assist operations

More than 600 people from 17 countries left Iran for Azerbaijan between Friday and Tuesday, Reuters reported. Tehran to Azerbaijan by road is a journey of about eight hours, while reaching the Armenian border takes more than 10 hours.

An Azerbaijan Foreign Ministry representative said more than 1,200 citizens from 51 countries had requested permission to cross from Iran into Azerbaijan. The Kremlin has thanked Azerbaijan for helping Russian citizens leave Iran.

Meanwhile, Iran's ambassador to Armenia, Mehdi Sobhani, said “many Iranian citizens who had previously been in Turkey and Russia have returned to Iran via Armenia”.

“Efforts are continuing to facilitate the return of Iranian citizens amid flight cancellations,” Mr Sobhani said.

Greece has repatriated 105 of its citizens and foreign nationals from Israel. “The people repatriated were transported to Athens from Sharm El-Sheikh, in Egypt, on-board C-130 and C-27 Greek air force planes,” its foreign ministry said.

“Along with Greek citizens and their families, other people on the flight included citizens of Albania, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, France, Germany, Georgia, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Romania, Sweden, Switzerland and the United States,” it added.

Israel airlifts stranded citizens

Israel has launched a phased airlift operation to bring home its citizens, after the closing of air space across the Middle East left tens of thousands stuck overseas.

The first rescue flight, operated by national carrier El Al, touched down at Tel Aviv Airport on Wednesday morning, returning passengers from Larnaca, Cyprus.

Worldwide, Israel's transport ministry estimates that more than 50,000 stranded Israelis are trying to get home.

Meanwhile, the Japanese government has started making arrangements to send a military plane to Djibouti as part of its effort to help Japanese nationals in Iran and Israel evacuate, according to commercial broadcaster Fuji Television Network.