US nationals urged to leave Middle East as conflict spreads.
As the US-Israeli war on Iran escalates, the US has asked its citizens to evacuate the majority of the Middle East immediately due to “serious safety risks”.
On Monday, the US State Department advised Americans to “depart now via commercial means” from Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, the occupied West Bank and Gaza, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.
Washington has not yet arranged any evacuations in the region, where many aircraft have been delayed or suspended since the US and Israel began hitting Iran on Saturday.
Iran replied by firing missiles and drones toward US-allied Middle Eastern nations. Between 500,000 and one million US citizens are expected to live in the Middle East.
Exact official figures are unavailable since Americans are not obligated to register with US authorities when they relocate abroad.
American citizens were asked to verify “the latest security updates” with neighbouring embassies and consulates, and hotlines were provided if they required assistance departing the region.
On Monday, the US embassy in Jerusalem stated that they are unable to help or evacuate Americans departing Israel and will close on Tuesday.
It later stated that Israel has “begun operating shuttles to the Taba Border Crossing [with Egypt]” but advised that the embassy “cannot make any recommendation (for or against)” using them.
On Tuesday, France announced that it was ready to fly back its citizens who were most at risk in the Middle East.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot stated on BFM TV that commercial and military flights may be used.Approximately 400,000 French people are believed to be in the Middle East.
On Monday, UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer urged all British people in the region to register their presence so that the government could provide “the best possible support”.
Approximately 102,000 Britons have already registered their presence in the Middle East with the UK authorities.
Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper told the BBC that there were approximately 300,000 British citizens in the region.
She stated that many of those trapped were tourists, passengers passing through the Gulf, or those on business trips.
The UK government has previously utilised registration schemes to send urgent information to those affected by international crises, but the scale of this situation is unusual.
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