As tensions in the Middle East escalate, countries around the world, including Nigeria, are taking measures to evacuate their citizens from Israel and Iran, as the two nations enter the seventh day of intense aerial conflict and regional airspace remains volatile.
A week of Israeli air and missile strikes against its major rival has reportedly eliminated top figures in Iran’s military command, damaged parts of its nuclear infrastructure, and resulted in hundreds of casualties.
In retaliation, Iranian missile strikes have killed at least two dozen civilians in Israel.
In response, a global evacuation effort is underway, with several nations either beginning or finalizing plans to repatriate their citizens from both conflict zones.
With Israel’s airspace closed and both countries engaged in heavy missile exchanges, many evacuations are being conducted through neighboring countries.
In light of the escalating conflict, several nations have swiftly activated emergency protocols to safeguard their nationals caught in the crossfire.
From issuing travel advisories to arranging charter flights and land evacuations, governments are responding with urgency.
Below is a list of countries that have begun evacuating their citizens or announced plans to do so in the coming days:
NIGERIA
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, said in a statement on Thursday that the federal Government is finalizing arrangements for the emergency evacuation of stranded Nigerians in both countries.
Tuggar also urged affected Nigerian citizens to adhere to necessary security protocols and to contact the nearest Nigerian foreign mission for registration and further instructions.
UNITED STATES
The United States is working to evacuate Americans wishing to leave Israel by arranging flights and cruise ship departures, U.S. ambassador Mike Huckabee said in a post on X.
CHINA
According to the Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson, the Asia country has evacuated more than 1,600 citizens from Iran and hundreds more from Israel.
“Evacuation efforts are continuing and China has maintained communication with Iran, Israel, Egypt and Oman, spokesperson Guo Jiakun said during a press conference while calling for immediate measures to cool down tensions as soon as possible.
AUSTRALIA
The Australian government evacuated a small group from Israel through a land border crossing yesterday, and would look for more opportunities over the next day, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong stated in an interview.
Around 1,500 Australians in Iran have registered for assistance, with another 1,200 Australians in Israel seeking to leave, Wong told reporters.
BULGARIA
Bulgaria has evacuated 17 of its diplomats and their families from Iran to Azerbaijan and is planning to repatriate them by land and air, the Bulgarian government said on Thursday.
It said an administration at the Bulgarian embassy in Tehran was moving temporarily to Baku.
CROATIA
Croatian Foreign Minister Gordan Grlic Radman disclosed that diplomats and embassy staff from Tel Aviv and Tehran will leave most probably by land.
FRANCE
France will arrange convoy by the end of the week to get French nationals without their own means of doing so to the Turkish or Armenian borders from Iran to access airports in those countries, French foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on Thursday.
French citizens in Israel will be able to board buses starting Friday morning from the Jordanian border for airports in Jordan, with a flight chartered from Amman by the end of the week to aid the passage of French citizens who are vulnerable or in emergency situations, Barrot said.
GREECE
Greece has evacuated 16 of its nationals and their families by land from Iran to Azerbaijan and is now working on their repatriation to Greece, the foreign ministry said.
INDIA
India said on Wednesday it has launched “Operation Sindhu” to evacuate Indian nationals from Iran. So far 110 Indian students have been evacuated from northern Iran, having crossed over into Armenia on June 17, India’s foreign ministry said.
The Indian Embassy in Iran has been assisting Indians in moving from areas seeing increased hostilities to relatively safer areas within the country and to subsequently evacuate them.
ITALY
Italy is organizing commercial flights from Amman in the next days to allow its about 20,000 nationals living in Israel to leave the country if they ask for it, Italian foreign minister Antonio Tajani said on X.
29 of the about 500 Italian nationals leaving in Iran already left the country on Wednesday with assistance from the government, a diplomatic source said, adding it wasn’t a proper evacuation.
JAPAN
Japan’s top government spokesperson Yoshimasa Hayashi said on Thursday Japan would send two Self-Defense Forces transport aircraft to Djibouti in eastern Africa in preparation for the evacuation of Japanese nationals from Iran and Israel.
Hayashi also said the Japanese embassies in Israel and Iran were preparing to evacuate Japanese nationals to neighbouring countries by bus, with plans to implement evacuation as early as Thursday.
NEW ZEALAND
New Zealand has temporarily closed its Tehran embassy and evacuated two staff and their family by land to Azerbaijan.
New Zealand’s government warned that closed airspace limited how they can assist citizens requesting to leave. Foreign Minister Winston Peters added that consular partners are considering evacuation flights when air space reopens and the government is working closely with Australia.
NORWAY
Norwegian foreign affairs ministry told Reuters it had no plans to evacuate Norwegian citizens from Iran, adding it had advised against travel to Iran for a long time.
Norway’s embassy remains operational in Tehran but currently does not accept visits from the public, its foreign ministry said.
POLAND
A group of Polish citizens evacuated from Iran landed in Warsaw on Thursday morning, ending the evacuation from the country, the Foreign Ministry’s spokesperson told journalists.
The first plane evacuated from Israel landed in Warsaw on Wednesday morning and a second one is expected on Thursday afternoon from Amman, with 65 people on board.
PORTUGAL
Portugal has temporarily shut its embassy in Iran and evacuated four of its citizens via Azerbaijan.
It has received 130 repatriation requests from citizens in Israel and is organising a repatriation flight, expected to land in Portugal later on Thursday, the foreign ministry said.
SERBIA
A group of 100 Serbs have fled Israel via Egypt, ambassador Miroljub Petrovic said on Thursday.
SOUTH KOREA
Eighteen South Korean nationals and two of their family members who are Iranian nationals were evacuated by land from Iran, South Korea’s foreign ministry said in a statement on Thursday.
