Source: Radio New Zealand
A plume of smoke rises from the Zayed Port following a reported Iranian strike in Abu Dhabi. AFP / RYAN LIM
More than 3000 New Zealanders are in the Middle East as the Iran war continues.
The US and Israel have been bombing Iran for almost one week, with Iran launching retaliatory strikes on US and Israeli bases across the Middle East.
Travel warnings are in place, and most flights in and out of the region are not operating.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said 3171 New Zealanders were registered with its service SafeTravel in the region.
That included 1,893 in the UAE, 411 in Qatar, 401 in Saudi Arabia, 120 in Egypt, 42 in Jordan, 72 in Kuwait, 55 in Bahrain, 30 in Iran, 12 in Iraq, and 83 in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory, 38 in Oman, and 14 in Lebanon.
However, it expected the actual number of New Zealanders in each country to be higher.
Defence Minister Judith Collins previously told Midday Report on Thursday, two NZDF planes would be leaving New Zealand in the coming days.
“We’re not saying exactly where they’re going to be, for obvious security reasons, but we will be saying to people, if you want to leave, we’ll get you out of the region into a safer region…. but we won’t be bringing back the thousands of New Zealanders who we know are in the region all the way back to New Zealand.
“We’ll get you to a place where you can be safe and you can get commercial flights.”
The government is urging New Zealanders in the Middle East to register on SafeTravel in preparation for evacuation.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
