Italy said Monday it was helping evacuate hundreds of citizens from the United Arab Emirates, estimating there are currently around 30,000 Italian nationals in the country.
Speaking in the Italian Senate, Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said a group of 98 Italians had left the UAE for Oman on Sunday and were due to arrive in Rome later on Monday.
Another group of around 200 Italian students who had been stranded in Dubai are due to be evacuated on a UAE flight to Milan on Tuesday.
The United States and Israel launched a war against Iran on Saturday, prompting retaliatory missile and drone attacks by Tehran against US allies in the Gulf region.
Thousands of travellers in the region have been left stranded because of airspace and airports closures, although Dubai said it would resume “limited” flights on Monday.
“We are creating corridors and networks of embassies to facilitate the movement of Italians to countries where there are flights available,” Tajani said.
He said Italy would help with charter flights to bring back thousands of Italians who were due to transit through Dubai on their way back from the Maldives.
Tajani said there were “a bit less than 500 Italians” currently living in Iran and plans were in place for them to be evacuated through the border with Azerbaijan if needed.
“In case the situation worsens, we are ready to organise a convoy within a few hours. On the ground on the Azerbaijani side of the border, the bases are already ready,” he said.
Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto told the same hearing that there were 2,500 Italian troops deployed in the Gulf region and none had been injured.
He also said Italy was considering a request from Gulf allies for help with “air defence and anti-drone protection”.
Crosetto was himself stranded in Dubai, where he had been with his family on private visit, when the first strikes began on Saturday.
He was flown out on Sunday from Oman with an Italian military plane, paying for the trip himself following criticism from opposition politicians.
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