With the resumption of flights very limited and tentative and Western countries just beginning to conduct organized evacuations, hundreds of thousands of people remain stranded in the Middle East amid the US and Israeli war against Iran.
Repatriation flights by local carriers Emirates, flydubai and Etihad began departing Dubai and Abu Dhabi on Monday evening. United Arab Emirates authorities said 60 flights carrying 17,498 passengers had taken off as of yesterday evening.
Plans for repatriation flights from the UAE could be disrupted at any moment by the war.
Repatriation flights typically are organized in partnership with governments to transport their citizens in emergency circumstances.
There is no indication that flights from Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait will resume soon.
Saudi Arabian airspace is closed in eastern regions near the Gulf but some international flights are operating from deeper in the country.
Limited international flights also have been available this week from Muscat, the capital of Oman.
Israeli airspace remains closed.
Jordan reopened its airspace to commercial flights yesterday although with the war unfolding daily in the skies above the country it is unclear how many flights there will be and whether they can be considered safe.
Lebanon’s Middle East Airlines is operating some flights to and from Beirut, but these cannot be considered safe given the heavy fighting underway between Israel and the Lebanese Shia militia Hizbollah, an Iranian proxy.
European countries have been much more aggressive since the weekend in organizing repatriation flights than the United States, although the State Department said yesterday that it was “actively securing military aircraft and charter flights” for Americans wishing to leave the Middle East.
Government-organized evacuation flights in some cases also include overland transportation, for example to Muscat. Such flights are not necessarily free of charge.
Under the best of circumstances, it will take weeks for all foreigners who want to leave the region to get out.
No travel should be undertaken to any country on the Arabian Peninsula south of Turkey.
Personnel who are stranded and their colleagues outside the region continually should check with airlines while monitoring embassy messages about possible evacuation opportunities.
No attempts should be made to travel to airports to wait for flights to become available.
Flights from Egypt, which thus far is outside the war zone, may be an option.
Extraction by boat from northwestern Saudi Arabia, Israel and northern Beirut suburbs in Lebanon may become feasible in coming days, a situation that also should be monitored, although secure overland passage to the sea would have to be assured in such cases.
Heavy US and Israeli airstrikes against Iran are continuing today, while Iran continues to launch missiles and drones at US military targets across the region and at Israel.
The Gulf Arab countries very much remain in the crosshairs of Iran, with drones in particular hitting civilian targets.
While air defenses in the Gulf Arab monarchies have been performing well, there is mounting concern that stocks of interceptors will begin to run low in coming days, raising the prospect of more drones getting through.
The US Consulate in Dubai was hit by an Iranian drone yesterday, harming nobody but sparking a small fire. The US Embassies in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait previously were stuck by drones.
Personnel in the Gulf Arab countries should curtail circulation to the utmost, remaining indoors to the extent possible. When they must go out, they should steer well clear of US diplomatic facilities, oil and gas infrastructure, and military bases – all of which are prime Iranian missile and drone targets. They constantly should monitor the advice of local authorities and their embassies. High-rises are not ideal places to be, and those stuck in a multi-story hotel or apartment building should keep in mind that underground parking garages are relatively secure from drone attack but not immune and that stairways rather than elevators should be used in the event of drone attack or fire. Stocking up on food and other essentials is recommended in the smaller Gulf Arab countries.
Israel since the early hours of Monday has been under regular missile and drone attack not only from Iran but from Hizbollah. Ten people have been killed and scores injured in Israel since the first Iranian air attacks on Saturday.
The Israeli military is pounding Hizbollah targets in Lebanon relentlessly, including in heavily Shia southern Beirut. Over 100 Lebanese have been killed and over 30,000 displaced so far.
The Lebanese government has declared Hizbollah’s current attacks on Israel illegal, largely in an attempt to ward off Israeli bombing of central Beirut and other areas of the country where Hizbollah is not present.
Personnel in Lebanon should remain in Christian suburbs north of Beirut and even there should curtail circulation. Central Beirut should be avoided for the time being.
Personnel in Jordan, where US military bases have been targeted by Iranian missiles and Iranian missiles and drones aimed at Israel constantly fly overhead, should shelter in place.
