The United States and several Western countries have begun evacuating their citizens from the Middle East following attacks targeting the Islamic Republic of Iran, as security concerns escalate across the region.

The U.S. State Department announced that more than 6,500 American citizens have already left the Middle East since the outbreak of hostilities. Officials indicated that the number is expected to increase in the coming days as evacuation efforts continue.

According to U.S. authorities, evacuation operations prioritize American nationals, while flexible arrangements are being made for family members of different nationalities.

 In addition to commercial flights, charter aircraft and land evacuations through border crossings are also being used.

The escalation of the conflict has also severely disrupted air traffic in the region. Aviation monitoring organizations reported that more than 20,000 of approximately 36,000 scheduled flights to and from the Middle East have been canceled. At Dubai International Airport, nearly 80 percent of flights were reportedly suspended.

European countries and other Western states have also launched similar evacuation plans. Several governments are arranging charter flights from countries such as Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Oman to facilitate the departure of their citizens.

In some cases, consular teams have been deployed to border areas to assist nationals crossing into neighboring countries before boarding evacuation flights.

Diplomatic missions have also urged their citizens to leave the Middle East as soon as possible.

The wave of evacuations accelerated after the United States and Israel launched attacks against the Islamic Republic of Iran on February 28, heightening security risks across the region.(ILKHA)