Newsletter Newsletters Events Events Podcasts Videos Africanews
Loader
Advertisement

More European countries begin evacuating citizens from Israel and Iran

Foreign residents evacuated from Israel after missile strikes, cross Taba Land Port, a border crossing on the eastern border with Israel, to Egypt, Thursday, June 19, 2025.
Foreign residents evacuated from Israel after missile strikes, cross Taba Land Port, a border crossing on the eastern border with Israel, to Egypt, Thursday, June 19, 2025. Copyright  STR/Copyright 2025 The AP. All rights reserved
Copyright STR/Copyright 2025 The AP. All rights reserved
By Euronews with AP
Published on Updated
Share this article Comments
Share this article Close Button
Copy/paste the article video embed link below: Copy to clipboard Copied

Portugal, Romania and Serbia are among those helping their citizens to leave the region as the fighting between the Middle Eastern powers continues unabated.

ADVERTISEMENT

More countries are evacuating their citizens from the Middle East as the conflict between Israel and Iran rages on, despite international efforts to find a diplomatic solution.

Days of attacks and reprisals by the adversaries have shuttered airspace across the region, severely disrupting commercial flights.

A repatriation flight transporting 69 people from Israel landed in Portugal on Thursday evening, with 48 Portuguese citizens among the passengers.

Foreign residents evacuated from Israel after missile strikes, cross Taba Land Port, a border crossing on the eastern border with Israel, to Egypt, Thursday, June 19, 2025.
Foreign residents evacuated from Israel after missile strikes, cross Taba Land Port, a border crossing on the eastern border with Israel, to Egypt, Thursday, June 19, 2025. STR/Copyright 2025 The AP. All rights reserved

The Portuguese government announced the temporary closure of its embassy in Tehran this week, alongside ongoing repatriation operations in the Middle East.

In Serbia, 38 people arrived safely in Belgrade on Thursday night, most of whom were Serbian nationals.

They arrived on a special Air Serbia flight from Sharm el-Sheikh, organised by the Serbian government, who said the evacuation of those wishing to leave Israel and Iran would continue.

On Thursday, Serbian Prime Minister Đuro Macut met with Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty in Cairo to discuss the emergency evacuation of more than 2,500 Serbian nationals stranded in Israel.

Meanwhile, in Romania, more than a hundred people arrived in the capital Bucharest on Friday on military transport flights from the Middle East.

The Romanian Ministry of Defence sent the planes to the region after its nationals requested assistance.

The conflict between Israel and Iran erupted on 13 June following Israeli bombings on Iranian military and nuclear facilities, which resulted in the deaths of military leaders, scientists and civilians.

More than 400 EU citizens from countries including Greece, Lithuania, Poland and Slovakia have been evacuated from Israel in flights supported by the European Commission.

Go to accessibility shortcuts
Share this article Comments

Read more

Will the anti-greenwashing proposal survive the tug-of-war between European institutions?

France, Indonesia evacuate citizens stranded in Israel and Iran

Iranian missiles hit southern Israel's largest hospital, injuring dozens