Israel begins flights to return citizens stranded abroad amid Iran conflict

Israel has launched an operation to fly citizens home from the Middle East, with the first two return flights expected to land at Ben-Gurion Airport on Thursday; other countries including the US and UK have also organised repatriation flights, some of which have faced delays.

Israel announced an operation to bring citizens home from the Middle East after recent strikes and counterstrikes in the region. The first two return flights are expected to land at Ben-Gurion Airport on Thursday morning. The move follows repatriation efforts by other governments, including the United States and the United Kingdom. Some government-chartered and commercial flights have experienced delays. Key facts: - Israel announced the return operation and expects the first two flights to arrive at Ben-Gurion on Thursday morning. - The U.S. launched a charter flight program and the State Department reported over 17,500 U.S. citizens have returned from the Middle East, with about 8,500 returning in the past day. - A British government-chartered flight from Muscat was delayed and rescheduled for Thursday, and Qatar Airways said it would operate limited relief flights from Muscat and Riyadh to several European cities. Summary: Multiple governments and carriers are conducting repatriation flights to move citizens out of the region, with some flights proceeding as planned and others postponed. Arrival timings and further flight schedules were reported for Thursday, and operational updates are expected as the situation evolves.