Berlin to evacuate German children, pregnant women from Middle East
The German government is preparing to evacuate vulnerable nationals stranded due to the conflict in the Middle East, including children, sick people and pregnant women, Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul says.
Aircraft will be sent to the Saudi capital Riyadh and Muscat in Oman, Wadephul said.
Up to 30,000 tourists from German travel agencies are believed to be affected by the escalating regional conflict, which began on Saturday with US-Israeli strikes on Iran. Tehran has since retaliated, attacking US forces in Gulf states such as Qatar and the United Arab Emirates that also serve as key international air transport hubs.
A spokesman for the German Defence Ministry had said earlier on Monday that evacuations would be a “last resort”.
Wadephul said the Foreign Ministry would send crisis support teams to Muscat, Doha and Dubai, while “further teams are investigating the situation at the border crossings”.
German nationals could be encouraged to cross the border into countries such as Oman and Saudi Arabia whose airspace is still open. A team from the German Embassy in Cairo is assisting with the border crossing from Israel.
