US, European nations expand evacuation operations from Middle East

Countries across the world are continuing evacuation and repatriation operations to bring their citizens home from the Middle East as the conflict involving Iran escalates.

According to CNN, multiple governments have begun organising flights from the region in an effort to ensure the safety of their nationals.

The European Commission said at least six repatriation flights supported by the EU have departed from the Middle East since Wednesday. The flights transported European citizens back to Bulgaria, Italy, Austria and Slovakia.

Additional repatriation flights are expected to be organised in the coming days.

“In light of the latest developments in the region, the Commission is taking all possible steps to ensure the safety of EU citizens by supporting member states in organising repatriation flights from the Middle East,” the Commission said in a statement.

The US Department of State also said it would increase the number of evacuation flights “across the region.” The announcement came after officials confirmed on Wednesday evening that more than 17,500 US citizens had returned to the United States from the Middle East since February 28.

Evacuation flights are also departing from regional hubs, including Dubai and Jeddah. Several European countries, including France, Germany and the Czech Republic, have also begun organising flights to bring their citizens home.

Meanwhile, the United Kingdom said on Thursday that its first charter flight since the outbreak of the conflict, scheduled to depart from Muscat, had been delayed because of technical issues. British officials said the aircraft was expected to depart shortly, and several additional flights are planned in the coming days.

By Tamilla Hasanova