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What you need to know
- First German evacuation flight departs Oman
- Qatar evacuates residents near US embassy
- Tanker anchored off Kuwait reports explosion, leaks oil
Follow along for the latest developments in the US-Israel war with Iran on Thursday, March 5:
Surge in repatriation flights from the Middle East
Australia, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, the United States and Russia are among the nations organizing special evacuation flights for their citizens.
Some countries are chartering commercial planes, while others are deploying military aircraft.
They are evacuating nationals from countries including Oman, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Here’s an idea of what some countries are doing:
United Kingdom
The first flight chartered by the British government from Oman was expected to land in the UK on Thursday. A second flight is scheduled to depart Oman’s capital, Muscat, on Thursday with a third flight later in the week.
Several commercial flights had already brought Britains on Tuesday and Wednesday back to the UK.
Some 138,000 British nationals in the Gulf have registered their presence with the UK government, the Home Office said. 112,000 of these are in the United Arab Emirates.
Russia
Russia has been evacuating its citizens on emergency service flights and charter planes. More than 100 Russians, including children, arrived in Moscow on a transport aircraft on Wednesday after crossing overland from Iran into Azerbaijan.
Belgium
Belgium’s news agency reported that the government is evacuating its citizens by road to neighbouring countries with operational flights. It has scheduled buses on Thursday evening to take people to Saudi Arabia, it reported. From there, travelers will have to organize commercial flights themselves.
Those stranded in the UAE will be taken on buses to Muscat, Oman, starting on Friday, the news agency said. They will then be flown to Hurghada in Egypt. From there, the government is encouraging them to book commercial flights — though a military flight will also be available.
France
About 400,000 French citizens are in the regions of the Middle East affected by the conflict, either as residents or travelers.
Several reparation flights landed in Paris on Wednesday with more expected.
France said it would organise further evacuation flights, but government minister Eleonore Caroit called it “a complex process, with constant uncertainty because we are in a very fluid situation.”
Qatar is evacuating people living near the US Embassy
Qatar‘s Interior Ministry announced early Thursday that it was evacuating residents near the United States‘ embassy in Doha.
This was a “temporary precautionary measure,” it said in a post on X.
Qatar is home to the biggest US military installation in the Middle East, the Al-Udeid Air Base.
The US base was hit by an Iranian missile on Tuesday.
Other US embassies in Gulf countries have also been targeted by Iran since the war began.
The US embassies in both Saudi Arabia and Kuwait closed after being hit by Iranian strikes earlier in the week.
Tanker anchored off Kuwait reports explosion, leaks oil
A tanker at anchor off the coast of Kuwait has reported hearing and seeing a large explosion on the side of the ship.
The ship’s master reported observing a small craft leaving the area, according to an incident report published by the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations.
Oil was seen in the water from a cargo tank and the vessel had taken on water,
The ship was anchored 30 nautical miles southeast of Kuwait’s Mubarak Al Kabeer in the Persian Gulf.
All crew were safe, the incident report said.
This latest incident means at least nine vessels have been hit in Gulf waters since the war began on Saturday.
More than 3,000 vessels are stuck in Persian Gulf ports waiting to move across the narrow Strait of Hormuz, which is currently effectively blocked by Iran.
First German evacuation flight departs Oman
The first repatriation flight organized by Germany‘s government has departed from Oman, according to the flight tracker Flightradar24.
The Lufthansa aircraft took off from Oman’s capital, Muscat, and is expected to arrive in Frankfurt just before 7:30 a.m. local time (06:30 GMT) on Thursday.
The passengers had been stranded in the Gulf region following the start of the US-Israel war with Iran and had to be transported overland to Muscat.
Those on board the Airbus were selected by the German government.
Earlier in the week, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said that such flights would prioritize pregnant women, the sick and children.
It is unclear how many stranded Germans are on this first evacuation flight.
Welcome to our coverage
Here’s a quick summary of the main events late on Wednesday to get you up to speed:
- Senate Republicans voted down proposed legislation to halt US military action against Iran, even though a number of them voiced concerns about the lack of a clear exit strategy from the region.
- Iran postponed a funeral for its late leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in US and Israeli strikes on Saturday.
- An estimated 20,000 seafarers are stranded around the Strait of Hormuz after Iran threatened to attack any ships that pass through the narrow waterway
- The UN’s refugee, UNHCR, said it hadn’t seen a rise in Iranians crossing the border to other countries in the past day, although some 100,000 have fled the capital, Tehran for elsewhere in Iran.
- First German evacuation flight departs Oman
- Qatar evacuates residents near US embassy
- Tanker anchored off Kuwait reports explosion, leaks oil
Follow along for the latest developments in the US-Israel war with Iran on Thursday, March 5:
Follow along for the latest developments in the US-Israel war with Iran on Thursday, March 5:
Australia, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, the United States and Russia are among the nations organizing special evacuation flights for their citizens.
Some countries are chartering commercial planes, while others are deploying military aircraft.
They are evacuating nationals from countries including Oman, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Here’s an idea of what some countries are doing:
United Kingdom
The first flight chartered by the British government from Oman was expected to land in the UK on Thursday. A second flight is scheduled to depart Oman’s capital, Muscat, on Thursday with a third flight later in the week.
Several commercial flights had already brought Britains on Tuesday and Wednesday back to the UK.
Some 138,000 British nationals in the Gulf have registered their presence with the UK government, the Home Office said. 112,000 of these are in the United Arab Emirates.
Russia
Russia has been evacuating its citizens on emergency service flights and charter planes. More than 100 Russians, including children, arrived in Moscow on a transport aircraft on Wednesday after crossing overland from Iran into Azerbaijan.
Belgium
Belgium’s news agency reported that the government is evacuating its citizens by road to neighbouring countries with operational flights. It has scheduled buses on Thursday evening to take people to Saudi Arabia, it reported. From there, travelers will have to organize commercial flights themselves.
Those stranded in the UAE will be taken on buses to Muscat, Oman, starting on Friday, the news agency said. They will then be flown to Hurghada in Egypt. From there, the government is encouraging them to book commercial flights — though a military flight will also be available.
France
About 400,000 French citizens are in the regions of the Middle East affected by the conflict, either as residents or travelers.
Several reparation flights landed in Paris on Wednesday with more expected.
France said it would organise further evacuation flights, but government minister Eleonore Caroit called it “a complex process, with constant uncertainty because we are in a very fluid situation.”
Australia, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, the United States and Russia are among the nations organizing special evacuation flights for their citizens.
Some countries are chartering commercial planes, while others are deploying military aircraft.
They are evacuating nationals from countries including Oman, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Here’s an idea of what some countries are doing:
United Kingdom
The first flight chartered by the British government from Oman was expected to land in the UK on Thursday. A second flight is scheduled to depart Oman’s capital, Muscat, on Thursday with a third flight later in the week.
Several commercial flights had already brought Britains on Tuesday and Wednesday back to the UK.
Some 138,000 British nationals in the Gulf have registered their presence with the UK government, the Home Office said. 112,000 of these are in the United Arab Emirates.
Russia
Russia has been evacuating its citizens on emergency service flights and charter planes. More than 100 Russians, including children, arrived in Moscow on a transport aircraft on Wednesday after crossing overland from Iran into Azerbaijan.
Belgium
Belgium’s news agency reported that the government is evacuating its citizens by road to neighbouring countries with operational flights. It has scheduled buses on Thursday evening to take people to Saudi Arabia, it reported. From there, travelers will have to organize commercial flights themselves.
Those stranded in the UAE will be taken on buses to Muscat, Oman, starting on Friday, the news agency said. They will then be flown to Hurghada in Egypt. From there, the government is encouraging them to book commercial flights — though a military flight will also be available.
France
About 400,000 French citizens are in the regions of the Middle East affected by the conflict, either as residents or travelers.
Several reparation flights landed in Paris on Wednesday with more expected.
France said it would organise further evacuation flights, but government minister Eleonore Caroit called it “a complex process, with constant uncertainty because we are in a very fluid situation.”
Qatar‘s Interior Ministry announced early Thursday that it was evacuating residents near the United States‘ embassy in Doha.
This was a “temporary precautionary measure,” it said in a post on X.
Qatar is home to the biggest US military installation in the Middle East, the Al-Udeid Air Base.
The US base was hit by an Iranian missile on Tuesday.
Other US embassies in Gulf countries have also been targeted by Iran since the war began.
The US embassies in both Saudi Arabia and Kuwait closed after being hit by Iranian strikes earlier in the week.
Qatar‘s Interior Ministry announced early Thursday that it was evacuating residents near the United States‘ embassy in Doha.
This was a “temporary precautionary measure,” it said in a post on X.
Qatar is home to the biggest US military installation in the Middle East, the Al-Udeid Air Base.
The US base was hit by an Iranian missile on Tuesday.
Other US embassies in Gulf countries have also been targeted by Iran since the war began.
The US embassies in both Saudi Arabia and Kuwait closed after being hit by Iranian strikes earlier in the week.
A tanker at anchor off the coast of Kuwait has reported hearing and seeing a large explosion on the side of the ship.
The ship’s master reported observing a small craft leaving the area, according to an incident report published by the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations.
Oil was seen in the water from a cargo tank and the vessel had taken on water,
The ship was anchored 30 nautical miles southeast of Kuwait’s Mubarak Al Kabeer in the Persian Gulf.
All crew were safe, the incident report said.
This latest incident means at least nine vessels have been hit in Gulf waters since the war began on Saturday.
More than 3,000 vessels are stuck in Persian Gulf ports waiting to move across the narrow Strait of Hormuz, which is currently effectively blocked by Iran.
A tanker at anchor off the coast of Kuwait has reported hearing and seeing a large explosion on the side of the ship.
The ship’s master reported observing a small craft leaving the area, according to an incident report published by the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations.
Oil was seen in the water from a cargo tank and the vessel had taken on water,
The ship was anchored 30 nautical miles southeast of Kuwait’s Mubarak Al Kabeer in the Persian Gulf.
All crew were safe, the incident report said.
This latest incident means at least nine vessels have been hit in Gulf waters since the war began on Saturday.
More than 3,000 vessels are stuck in Persian Gulf ports waiting to move across the narrow Strait of Hormuz, which is currently effectively blocked by Iran.
The first repatriation flight organized by Germany‘s government has departed from Oman, according to the flight tracker Flightradar24.
The Lufthansa aircraft took off from Oman’s capital, Muscat, and is expected to arrive in Frankfurt just before 7:30 a.m. local time (06:30 GMT) on Thursday.
The passengers had been stranded in the Gulf region following the start of the US-Israel war with Iran and had to be transported overland to Muscat.
Those on board the Airbus were selected by the German government.
Earlier in the week, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said that such flights would prioritize pregnant women, the sick and children.
It is unclear how many stranded Germans are on this first evacuation flight.
The first repatriation flight organized by Germany‘s government has departed from Oman, according to the flight tracker Flightradar24.
The Lufthansa aircraft took off from Oman’s capital, Muscat, and is expected to arrive in Frankfurt just before 7:30 a.m. local time (06:30 GMT) on Thursday.
The passengers had been stranded in the Gulf region following the start of the US-Israel war with Iran and had to be transported overland to Muscat.
Those on board the Airbus were selected by the German government.
Earlier in the week, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said that such flights would prioritize pregnant women, the sick and children.
It is unclear how many stranded Germans are on this first evacuation flight.
Here’s a quick summary of the main events late on Wednesday to get you up to speed:
- Senate Republicans voted down proposed legislation to halt US military action against Iran, even though a number of them voiced concerns about the lack of a clear exit strategy from the region.
- Iran postponed a funeral for its late leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in US and Israeli strikes on Saturday.
- An estimated 20,000 seafarers are stranded around the Strait of Hormuz after Iran threatened to attack any ships that pass through the narrow waterway
- The UN’s refugee, UNHCR, said it hadn’t seen a rise in Iranians crossing the border to other countries in the past day, although some 100,000 have fled the capital, Tehran for elsewhere in Iran.
Here’s a quick summary of the main events late on Wednesday to get you up to speed:
[analyse_source url=”https://www.dw.com/en/iran-war-evacuation-flights-ramp-up-bringing-stranded-home/live-76221320″]