Missiles fly, airspace closes: Governments scramble to evacuate citizens from Israel and Iran
HONG KONG, June 19 — Governments around the world are evacuating thousands of their nationals caught up in the rapidly spiralling Israel-Iran conflict, organising buses and planes and in some cases assisting people crossing borders on foot.
Foreigners have rushed to leave both countries after Israel launched an unprecedented bombing campaign last Friday targeting Iran's nuclear and military facilities, sparking retaliation from Tehran.
With Israel's air space closed and the two countries exchanging heavy missile fire, many people are being evacuated via neighbouring countries.
People evacuated from Israel disembark from a plane, amid the Israel-Iran conflict, at Vasil Levski Sofia airport, Sofia, Bulgaria, June 18, 2025. — Bulgarian Foreign Ministry handout pic via Reuters
Europe
European countries have already repatriated hundreds of their citizens from Israel.
The Czech Republic and Slovakia said Tuesday they had taken 181 people home on government planes.
'It was not possible to send the army plane straight to Israel,' the Czech defence ministry said in a statement, citing the air space closure.
'The evacuees were taken to an airport in a neighbouring country by buses. They crossed the border on foot.'
The German government said flights were scheduled for yesterday and today via Jordan, while Poland said the first of its citizens were due to arrive back yesterday.
Greece said it had repatriated 105 of its citizens plus a number of foreign nationals via Egypt, while a private plane with 148 people landed in the Bulgarian capital Sophia on Tuesday.
United States
The US ambassador to Israel yesterday announced plans for evacuating Americans by air and sea.
The embassy is 'working on evacuation flights & cruise ship departures' for 'American citizens wanting to leave Israel,' Ambassador Mike Huckabee posted on social media.
China
China has evacuated more than 1,600 citizens from Iran and several hundred more from Israel.
The Chinese foreign ministry said Thursday its 'embassies and consulates will continue to make every effort to assist in the safe transfer and evacuation of Chinese citizens'.
Australia
Australia has started evacuating around 1,500 citizens from Iran and more than 1,200 from Israel — but missile barrages have made it too risky for civilian aircraft to land in either country, its foreign minister said.
'There's no capacity for people to get civilian aircraft in, it is too risky, and the airspace is closed,' Foreign Minister Penny Wong told national broadcaster ABC.
'We have taken the opportunity to get a small group of Australians out of Israel through a land border crossing.
'We are seeking to try and do more of that over the next 24 hours.'
Pakistani pilgrims evacuated from Iran walk across the Pakistan-Iran border at Taftan, Balochistan province on June 18, 2025, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran. — AFP pic
Pakistan
Pakistan has shut its border crossings with neighbouring Iran, except to Pakistanis wanting to return home.
Around 1,000 Pakistanis have fled so far, including at least 200 students.
The foreign ministry said the families of diplomats and some non-essential staff from Iran had been evacuated.
India
Around 110 students who fled Iran over the land border with Armenia have landed in New Delhi, a foreign ministry spokesperson said today.
There are around 10,000 Indian citizens in Iran. In Israel there are around 30,000 Indians, according to the country's embassy in New Delhi.
Japan
Japan has ordered military planes to be on standby for around 1,000 Japanese nationals believed to live in Israel, and around 280 in Iran, according to government ministers.
The Japanese embassies in Iran and Israel are preparing to use buses to evacuate citizens to neighbouring countries, a government spokesman said, as the war entered its seventh day.
Indonesia
Indonesia is preparing to evacuate around 380 of its citizens currently in Iran by land, Jakarta's foreign minister said today.
'Flights are no longer possible, so the only way is land route. It will start tonight,' Foreign Minister Sugiono, who like many Indonesians goes by one name, said in a video.
Vietnam
Vietnam, which has more than 700 citizens in Israel and dozens in Iran, said it was working to ensure their safety.
The foreign ministry said today that 18 Vietnamese from Iran were evacuated, 16 of whom returned to Vietnam. It did not provide further information on evacuations from Israel.
Philippines
The Philippines is preparing to repatriate 28 Israel-based Filipino workers out of 178 who asked for help, the Department of Migrant Workers secretary Hans Cacdac said today.
At least 21 Philippine government officials have also crossed into Jordan by land from Israel since the conflict began, the foreign ministry said. — AFP
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Malay Mail
10 hours ago
- Malay Mail
Second woman accuses French senator of drugging and assault, says she ‘buried it deep inside'
PARIS, June 20 — A French senator accused of drugging an MP with the intent to assault her is facing an accusation from another woman, according to French television. The woman, who has not been named, accused Joel Guerriau of abusing her at his home in Paris in May 2022. The 67-year-old already faces charges over drugging centrist deputy Sandrine Josso's drink in November 2023, an accusation he has denied. 'I decided to bury it deep inside me,' said the woman, speaking with her face covered and voice altered on France 2 late yesterday. The woman said she felt 'dizzy' before coming to her senses in the senator's bedroom, who she knew from political circles and with whom she had a legal dispute. France 2 said the woman has contacted police but has not yet filed a complaint. A lawyer for Guerriau told France 2 that the centre-right senator 'strongly denies these new rumours', calling them 'absurdities with the sole purpose of bringing Joel Guerriau to the public gallows.' France's Horizons party, led by former prime minister Edouard Philippe, suspended Guerriau in November 2023 after he was formally charged with drugging Josso as part of a plot to carry out a sexual assault. Josso — who is nearly two decades his junior — said she felt ill after accepting a drink at the Paris home of the senator, with whom she was not in a relationship. Tests revealed that Josso had ecstasy in her system, prompting her to file the criminal complaint. Guerriau has denied any intention to sexually assault the lawmaker and has rejected the accusation that he deliberately drugged her, describing it as a 'handling error'. He has so far ruled out resigning, calling it 'totally unfair' to step down before the court's ruling. The latest allegation against Guerriau comes months after the world was shocked by Frenchman Dominique Pelicot, who was jailed for 20 years for repeatedly drugging his wife so he and strangers could rape her. The shocking case, involving scores of men, brought widespread attention to the issue of consent. The French Senate passed a bill on Wednesday to include lack of consent in the country's criminal definition of rape, paving the way for its official adoption in the coming months. Consent-based rape laws already exist in several European countries including Germany, the Netherlands, Spain and Sweden. — AFP * If you are experiencing sexual violence, the following hotlines offer free and confidential support: Talian Kasih at 15999 or WhatsApp 019-2615999 (24/7); All Women's Action Society at 016-2374221/016-2284221 (9.30am-5.30pm); and Women's Aid Organisation (WAO) at 03-30008858 or SMS/WhatsApp TINA 018-9888058 (24/7)
Malay Mail
14 hours ago
- Malay Mail
China shut out of EU MedTech contracts in €150b market shake-up
BRUSSELS, June 20 — The EU today banned Chinese firms from government medical device purchases worth more than €5 million (RM24.5 million) in retaliation for limits Beijing places on access to its own market. The latest salvo in trade tensions between the 27-nation bloc and China covers a wide range of healthcare supplies, from surgical masks to X-ray machines, that represent a market worth €150 billion in the EU. 'Our aim with these measures is to level the playing field for EU businesses,' the bloc's trade commissioner Maros Sefcovic said. 'We remain committed to dialogue with China to resolve these issues.' The European Commission said in a statement the move was in 'response to China's longstanding exclusion of EU-made medical devices from Chinese government contracts.' Brussels said just under 90 per cent of public procurement contracts for medical devices in China 'were subject to exclusionary and discriminatory measures' against EU firms. In addition to barring Chinese firms from major state purchases, 'inputs from China for successful bids' would also be limited to 50 per cent, it said. Over the last three years, Brussels and Beijing have come into conflict in a number of economic sectors, including electric cars, the rail industry, solar panels and wind turbines. The decision on medical devices comes at a time of heightened trade tensions with President Donald Trump's United States, which has imposed customs surcharges on imports from all over the world, including Europe. The EU has decided to take a tougher stance on trade in recent years, adopting a vast arsenal of legislation to better defend its businesses against unfair competition. In April 2024, the commission opened an investigation into Chinese public contracts for medical devices, the first under a new mechanism introduced by the EU in 2022 to obtain better access to overseas state purchases. China, on the other hand, accuses Europe of protectionism. After a year of negotiations, the commission, which manages trade policy on behalf of the 27 member states, said it had failed to make any progress with China. 'The measure seeks to incentivise China to cease its discrimination against EU firms and EU-made medical devices and treat EU companies with the same openness as the EU does with Chinese companies and products,' Brussels said. — AFP
Malay Mail
14 hours ago
- Malay Mail
Europe pushes for Iran nuclear talks in Geneva amid US strike threat
GENEVA, June 20 — European foreign ministers are set to meet their Iranian counterpart today aiming to create a pathway back to diplomacy over its contested nuclear programme despite the US considering joining Israeli strikes against Iran. Ministers from Britain, France and Germany, known as the E3, as well as the European Union's foreign policy chief spoke to Abbas Araqchi earlier this week and have been coordinating with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. In a rare call, they pressed upon Araqchi the need to return to the negotiating table and avoid further escalation. At Iran's suggestion, the two sides agreed to meet face-to-face. The talks will be held in Geneva, where an initial accord between Iran and world powers to curb its nuclear programme in return for sanctions lifting was struck in 2013 before a comprehensive deal in 2015. They come after negotiations between Iran and the United States collapsed when Israel launched what it called Operation Rising Lion against Iran's nuclear facilities and ballistic capabilities on June 12. 'The Iranians can't sit down with the Americans whereas we can,' said a European diplomat. 'We will tell them to come back to the table to discuss the nuclear issue before the worst-case scenario, while raising our concerns over its ballistic missiles, support to Russia and detention of our citizens.' The European powers, who were not part of Iran's nuclear negotiations with the United States, had grown increasingly frustrated by the US negotiating strategy in the talks. They deemed some of the demands unrealistic, while fearing the possibility of a weak initial political framework that would lead to open-ended negotiations. Two diplomats said there were no great expectations for a breakthrough in Geneva, where the European Union's foreign policy chief will also attend. But they said it was vital to engage with Iran because once the war stopped, Iran's nuclear programme would still remain unresolved given that it would be impossible to eradicate the know-how acquired, leaving it potentially able to clandestinely rebuild its programme. An Iranian official said Tehran has always welcomed diplomacy, but urged the E3 to use all available means to pressure Israel to halt its attacks on Iran. 'Iran remains committed to diplomacy as the only path to resolving disputes — but diplomacy is under attack,' the official said. Speaking after holding talks in Washington with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, British Foreign Secretary David Lammy said there was a window for diplomacy. 'We discussed how a deal could avoid a deepening conflict. A window now exists within the next two weeks to achieve a diplomatic solution,' he said on X, referring to the White House saying yesterday that President Donald Trump would give two weeks before deciding whether to join Israeli strikes. Prior to Israel's strikes, the E3 and US put forward a resolution that was approved by the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency, a UN watchdog, which declared Iran in breach of its nuclear non-proliferation obligations. As part of last week's IAEA resolution, European officials had said they could refer Iran to the United Nations Security Council later in the summer to add pressure on Iran if there was no progress in the nuclear talks. That would be separate to them reimposing UN sanctions, known as the snapback mechanism, before October 18 when the 2015 accord expires. The Europeans are the only ones who can launch the snapback mechanism, with diplomats saying the three countries had looked to set a final deadline at the end of August to launch it. 'Iran has repeatedly stated that triggering snapback will have serious consequences,' the Iranian official said. — Reuters
