Minister says repatriation of all Israelis stranded in UAE to be completed by Saturday

Transportation Minister Miri Regev says the operation to repatriate all Israelis stranded in the United Arab Emirates amid the Iran war is expected to be completed on Saturday night.

“If the security situation does not change, the operation to rescue thousands of Israelis from the Emirates will be over by the end of Shabbat,” Regev says at a press conference.

Regev calls on Israelis not to travel to or via the Emirates, emphasizing that there is a travel warning from the National Security Council.

A total of 1,790 Israelis arrived at Ben Gurion Airport today from the Emirates, and another 320 passengers are expected to arrive tonight. According to the Israel Airports Authority, there are still 1,150 Israelis in the UAE.

The repatriation flights are part of an operation led by the Transportation Ministry to fly home thousands of Israelis stranded mainly in Dubai and Abu Dhabi since the joint US-Israel attack on Iran on February 28. The repatriation operation, which was launched earlier this week, comes as Iran has been firing missiles and drones at Israel, the UAE and other countries in the region.

Regev adds that in the coming days, Israel will increase commercial flights from Bangkok, Phuket and Japan to help bring back an estimated 8,000 Israelis from Southeast Asia.

Since the partial reopening of the country’s skies on March 4, about 100,000 Israelis have returned home via repatriation flights landing at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport and via land border crossings with Egypt and Jordan, Regev says.