US evacuates more than 32,000 citizens from the Middle East

More than 32,000 American citizens have returned safely to the United States from the Middle East since February 28, as part of a large-scale consular assistance operation, Deputy Secretary of State Dylan Johnson reported this Sunday.

In an official statement, Johnson detailed that the State Department has completed around 20 charter flights to date, managing to evacuate thousands of people.

However, he highlights that the total numbers could be higher, as the current balance does not include Americans who have moved to third countries or who are still in transit to American territory.

Although the availability of commercial flights in the region has begun to improve, the US government has ensured that it maintains and reinforces its ground transportation and charter flight operations as long as safety conditions permit.

Through a 24-hour operational task force, the State Department provided direct assistance to more than 19,000 citizens abroad, offering everything from security guidance to travel logistics.

According to the undersecretary, more than half of citizens who requested help to leave the region end up refusing transportation options provided by the US when contacted. According to the State Department, many of them choose to remain in the country where they are or prefer private travel alternatives.

The US government has appealed to its citizens in Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Israel who need travel assistance to complete the crisis registration form.

“The State Department will continue to actively assist any American citizen who wishes to leave the Middle East,” Johnson concluded.

The United States and Israel are in the middle of a war against Iran that began on Saturday last week and resulted in the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

The first week of attacks by the United States resulted in more than 3,000 targets attacked in Iran, the United States Army Central Command (Centcom) reported on Friday. According to Iran, at least 1,332 Iranian civilians died in the attacks, while Iranian attacks on Israel caused at least ten deaths.