Countries Evacuate Citizens from Middle East Amid Rising Regional Tensions

Countries Evacuate Citizens from Middle East Amid Rising Regional Tensions
——————————————
Several countries have launched large-scale evacuation operations from the Middle East as regional tensions escalate and governments move to bring home citizens stranded in affected areas.

Kazakhstan’s Deputy Foreign Minister Arman Isetov said his country had successfully evacuated more than 9,000 citizens from zones impacted by military operations. According to Isetov, those evacuated included tourists, pilgrims, and businesspeople who found themselves caught in the crisis. He noted that the operation was carried out under exceptionally complex conditions and remains ongoing.

In a separate effort, Japan completed its sixth charter evacuation flight, bringing 222 people to Narita International Airport from Riyadh. The flight raised the total number of evacuees transported through Japan’s charter flights to 1,104 people, including Japanese nationals and residents who had been in Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia.

Japanese authorities said the charter evacuation program would be temporarily suspended as commercial air traffic gradually resumes across parts of the region.

Meanwhile, the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration in the Philippines arranged a special flight from Riyadh to Manila carrying 341 Filipino workers who had been stranded in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Bahrain. Philippine government agencies are also facilitating the land transit of workers traveling from Bahrain and Kuwait to a gathering point in Riyadh.

These evacuation efforts coincide with decisions by several Gulf countries to fully or partially suspend flights in response to the ongoing conflict in the region.