BERLIN — Thousands of travelers including religious pilgrims, vacationers, and diplomatic families find themselves trapped throughout the Middle East as escalating warfare involving Iran disrupts transportation across the region.
Flight cancellations by major carriers and closed airspace over the Gulf have left many seeking emergency shelter during bombing campaigns, while others remain aboard cruise vessels unable to navigate through the Strait of Hormuz.
The U.S. State Department issued urgent evacuation orders Monday, advising American citizens to immediately exit more than twelve Middle Eastern nations due to mounting security threats from the expanding regional conflict.
Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs Mora Namdar posted on social media platform X, instructing Americans in nations such as Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Israel to “DEPART NOW” utilizing whatever commercial transport remains available.
State Department officials have also withdrawn non-essential staff and family members from six countries, recently adding the United Arab Emirates to the evacuation list Tuesday. The UAE, housing Dubai and Abu Dhabi and traditionally viewed as a secure regional haven, has become entangled in the Iranian conflict through missile interceptions and military strikes.
U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee informed Americans in Israel that their optimal escape route leads through Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula region.
Huckabee posted on social media early Tuesday that the embassy was handling numerous evacuation inquiries while staff members “are sheltering in place.”
“There are VERY LIMITED options,” he posted. “Not sure when Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv will reopen.” He recommended Americans travel by bus to Egyptian resort destinations Sharm el-Sheikh and Taba in southern Sinai.
International governments are rushing to organize citizen evacuations from the affected areas.
Italy’s government has coordinated evacuation flights to Milan and Rome following public criticism of Defense Minister Guido Crosetto. The minister faced political backlash after becoming stranded in Dubai with his family when the U.S.-Israeli military action against Iran began.
Crosetto flew back to Rome Sunday aboard a military transport. Opposition parties have demanded his resignation, arguing he shouldn’t have traveled to the Middle East during the crisis. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has supported her defense minister.
Approximately 30,000 German tourists remain stuck on cruise ships, in hotels, or at shuttered airports throughout the Middle East, with the initial evacuation flight from Dubai to Frankfurt scheduled to arrive Tuesday afternoon.
German authorities are arranging chartered aircraft using public funds to evacuate vulnerable individuals including sick travelers, children, and expectant mothers.
France is coordinating the return of thousands of French nationals, according to the foreign affairs minister’s Tuesday statement. Around 200,000 French residents live in conflict-affected areas, with officials estimating roughly 25,000 French citizens are currently visiting the region.
Romanian tourists reached Bucharest early Tuesday after traveling from Israel through Cairo to flee the violence. Hundreds of Romanian Orthodox pilgrims were stranded in Israel during a religious journey to Bethlehem led by Romanian clergy when fighting erupted. The pilgrimage group was compelled to abandon their trip and return home.
Pilgrim Mariana Muicaru described her terror while in Israel watching missiles streak overhead.
“We called our children at 3 a.m. to ask forgiveness because we might die and to tell them we love them and to let them know that it’s over for us,” she told The Associated Press.
British travelers previously trapped in the United Arab Emirates expressed relief upon landing safely at London’s Heathrow Airport Monday night.
Adam Barton, traveling with family from Abu Dhabi, said he received emergency alerts while at the airport before departure.
“We had an alert on our phone, saying to get away from the windows for potential missile attacks,” Barton told Sky News.
A Dubai flight arrived in Belgrade, Serbia’s capital, early Tuesday morning carrying approximately 200 passengers.
One passenger told state broadcaster RTS he had been waiting at a hotel and received just 15 minutes to pack his belongings.
