Italy Evacuates Dozens of Citizens From Middle East; Germany to Follow

European nations, including Italy and Germany, are pulling out citizens from the Middle East amid ongoing U.S. and Israeli military operations against Iran.

American and Israeli militaries launched coordinated strikes on Iran on Feb. 28, with Tehran retaliating against its neighboring Gulf nations. This has resulted in a security crisis in the Middle East, leading to nations starting to withdraw citizens from the region.

“A first charter flight departed from Muscat with 127 Italian citizens stranded in Oman or transferred from Dubai to Oman with the assistance of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs,” Italy’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation said in a March 2 statement.

According to Reuters, the charter flight landed in Rome’s Fiumicino airport late Monday. Among the passengers were Italians returning home, as well as citizens of other countries who made their way back to Europe with assistance from the Italian embassy.

The ministry said that “in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Oman, embassies and consulates are working to facilitate the transfer of Italian citizens to operational airports in the region. Etihad Airways is also organizing short openings of Abu Dhabi airport.”

In a March 1 statement, the ministry said that foreign minister Antonio Tajani has created a Gulf Task Force to “support the efforts of Embassies and Consulates in the region to address the thousands of requests for assistance from thousands of citizens stranded in the Gulf countries.”

Germany is flying out particularly vulnerable people, including children, pregnant women, and the sick, from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and Muscat, Oman, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said in a press statement.

For such groups, “we will also provide aircraft ourselves,” Wadephul said. “First and foremost, of course, travel companies must step in here.” However, “if all that is not enough, we would fall back on the [German Armed Forces] if necessary.”

France’s Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noel Barrot said in a March 2 X post that the country was mobilizing to assist French citizens in the Middle East.

In the United Kingdom, British Foreign Minister Yvette Cooper said her team was looking at all options, including evacuation, to help hundreds of thousands of UK citizens leave Gulf countries, which are now being targeted by Iran.

In a March 2 statement to the House of Commons, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the country was deploying rapid-response teams to support British nationals in the region.

“There are an estimated 300,000 British citizens across the region; residents, families, holiday-makers and others, many of whom are currently in airports and hotels where significant disruption is taking place. This is deeply concerning for the whole House and the whole country,” Starmer said.

“We are in close contact with our partners, including in the UAE, given the possibility of British nationals needing to leave from there. We are exploring all options for helping our citizens return home as swiftly and safely as possible. Ministers are also engaging directly with airlines.”

Leaders from the E3 nations—France, Germany, and the UK—criticized Iran’s “indiscriminate and disproportionate” missile attacks against other Middle Eastern nations, according to a March 1 joint statement.

Iran has launched strikes against the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Jordan, and Syria.

E3 nations called on Iran to stop the attacks immediately and suggested they would take “necessary and proportionate defensive action” to destroy Tehran’s capability to fire missiles and drones.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz criticized the Iranian regime in a statement on Sunday.

“The mullah regime is a terrorist regime responsible for decades of oppression of the Iranian people. Thousands of people have fallen victim to this regime during the demonstrations over the New Year alone. The regime threatens the very existence of the State of Israel, and the regime is responsible for the terror perpetrated by Hamas and Hezbollah,” Merz said.

“We share with the United States and Israel the interest in seeing this regime’s terror cease and its dangerous nuclear and ballistic arms buildup halted.”

As for the United States, the State Department urged American citizens in Middle East nations and regions on Monday to leave the region immediately due to “serious safety risks.”

Americans in Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Yemen should depart immediately via any available commercial transportation, the department said.

In a video shared on March 2 on X, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that immediately following the military operation against Iran, “the State Department activated a 24/7 task force, surging personnel and resources necessary to help provide American citizens with up-to-the-minute safety and security information.”

“In order to receive these updates from the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate, you have to register with the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program,” Rubio said. “We also encourage Americans abroad to follow our ‘security updates for U.S. citizens’ channel on WhatsApp and follow @TravelGov on social media as well.”

The conflict is in its third day, with six U.S. servicemen killed in action so far. U.S. and Israeli forces have successfully struck hundreds of targets in Iran.

Reuters contributed to this report.