Germany is preparing to evacuate children, the sick and pregnant women among its citizens stranded in the Middle East as regional tensions escalate following US-Israeli strikes on Iran.
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said Monday that commercial aircraft would be deployed to assist with the evacuations. The move comes as up to 30,000 German tourists traveling with tour operators are believed to have been affected by the rapidly widening conflict.
The crisis began over the weekend with joint US and Israeli strikes on Iran, followed by retaliatory attacks by Tehran targeting American bases in Gulf states such as Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, both major international transit hubs.
A spokesperson for the German Defense Ministry said earlier that using the Bundeswehr for evacuation operations, similar to Germany’s Afghanistan airlift, would be considered only as a last resort.
Wadephul, a member of Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s Christian Democratic Union, said the Foreign Ministry is dispatching crisis support teams to Muscat, Doha and Dubai. Additional teams are assessing conditions at border crossings, while staff from the German Embassy in Cairo are assisting citizens crossing from Israel.
Berlin is also coordinating closely with the travel industry. Wadephul said he is in discussions with Lufthansa, tourism giant TUI Group and the German Travel Association to facilitate returns.
He confirmed he had spoken directly with Lufthansa CEO Carsten Spohr, noting that the airline has the preliminary capacity to transport German nationals, although operational conditions must be assessed case by case.
German authorities emphasized that military involvement would only occur in extreme emergencies if civilian evacuation efforts prove insufficient.
Follow the latest news on Google News
