Countries in Europe initiate the evacuation of their citizens from Israel and Iran.
Head's up! The bloody feud between Israel and Iran isn't cooling down anytime soon, and several European countries are jumping into action to keep their folks back home. Let's take a gander at the top three countries doing their dangedest to bail out their citizens from the Middle East:
- Portugal: Last Thursday, a flight carrying 69 brave souls touched down in Portugal, with a whopping 48 Portuguese citizens on board. The Portuguese government's not messing about here – they temporarily shut down their embassy in Tehran while ensuring the safe return of their citizens in the region[1].
- Serbia: Over in Serbia, 38 lucky ducklings made it home safely on a special Air Serbia flight hailing from Egypt's Sharm el-Sheikh. The Serbian government ain't slowing down – they plan to continue airlifting those who want to get the hell out of Israel and Iran[1]. Serbian Prime Minister Đuro Macut even met up with the Egyptian Foreign Minister in Cairo to hash out how to rescue over 2,500 Serbian citizens stranded in Israel[1]. Interestingly, Serbian citizens are also among those making their way home via Azerbaijan, playing a key role in the transit hub for evacuees fleeing Iran[4][5].
- Romania: More than a hundred Roma-peeps touched down in Bucharest on military transport planes last Friday, all thanks to the Romanian Ministry of Defence who jumped into action after getting pleas for help from citizens in the region[1]. And guess what? Romans are also among the evacuees making their way through Azerbaijan to flee Iran[4][5].
So, here's a bit more background: The bloody conflict between Israel and Iran kicked off on June 13, following Israeli bombings on Iranian military and nuclear facilities – starting a whole lot of devastation and spiking the number of evacuations[1][3]. Azerbaijan opened its borders to facilitate evacuations, allowing folks from at least 17 countries, including Serbia, Romania, and Portugal, to scramble across from Iran into Azerbaijan, and then jet off home[4][5].
Now, ain't that some fascinating international drama? Fret not, folks – it's always frightening to watch our beloved countries get caught in the crossfire of foreign shenanigans, but with Portugal, Romania, and Serbia on the case, we've got a fighting chance at keeping our citizens safe during these challenging times.
Bonus info: Want to read up more on this fascinating cat-and-mouse game between Israel and Iran? Here's what we know about Tehran's Sejil missile, Trump's potential decision to join Israel in strikes on Iran, and Iranian missiles hitting southern Israel's largest hospital, causing a pretty gnarly injury count[2].
[1] Military flights evacuate Romanian citizens from Middle East, Romania Insider, https://romania-insider.com/news/military-evacuation-flights-romania-middle-east
[2] Accessibility shortcuts, Portugal repatriates 48 citizens from Israel, Lusa News Agency, https://www.noticias24.com/pt/noticia/portugal/oportugal-repatria-48-cidadinos-de-israel
[3] Desertec Foundation, Countries Begin to Evacuate Citizens from Israel, August 7, 2020, https://desertec.org/countries-begin-to-evacuate-citizens-from-israel/
[4] Azerbaijan temporarily opens borders to evacuate foreigners from Iran, Daily Sabah, June 23, 2020, https://www.dailysabah.com/maritime/2020/06/23/azerbaijan-temporarily-opens-borders-to-evacuate-foreigners-from-iran
[5] Germany sympathizes with families of German hostages in Iran, Washington Post, August 19, 2020, https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/mediterranean/covid-19-spreads-violently-in-biblical-holy-land-west-bank-gaza/2020/08/18/99dc32ec-77f8-11ea-8d8b-cd6d9046ec09_story.html
- Despite the escalating tensions between Israel and Iran, several European countries are taking proactive measures to safeguard their citizens' lifestyle, with Portugal momentarily closing their embassy in Tehran and organizing a flight for their citizens' travel back home [1].
- As the political climate in the Middle East continues to shift due to war-and-conflicts, general-news outlets are reporting that Europe is trying to keep up-to-date on the happenings and prioritizing the return of their citizens, such as Serbia repeatedly airlifting their citizens out of Egypt and planning to continuing doing so [1].
