The Foreign Ministry in Vienna announced this on Thursday in response to an inquiry. The number of people who were able to leave Iran with the help of the Austrian Embassy in Tehran amounts to 44. Among them, however, are several citizens of other EU countries.

"So far, with the support of our embassies in Tel Aviv and Amman, together with our partners, 48 people have been able to leave the region," the Foreign Ministry said. The Austrian Embassy in Tel Aviv is in contact with all Austrians in Israel who wish to leave. On Monday, it was reported that"around 200 people who are fundamentally willing to leave" had reported to the Tel Aviv embassy.

Exit only on land

Regarding Iran, where around 100 Austrians were reported to be willing to leave, the Foreign Ministry announced on Thursday:"So far, 44 Austrians and EU citizens have left Iran for Turkey and Armenia as part of an exit supported by the Austrian Embassy in Tehran. In addition, a handful of people have left Iran independently."

The border crossings between Iran and Armenia, as well as between Iran and Turkey, are open. However, the security situation is"extremely volatile," making it difficult to plan overland travel. Direct travel from Iran to Austria is not possible due to the current situation. The embassy in Tehran is also in contact with all Austrians wishing to leave the country.

Crisis team meets daily

A crisis team is currently meeting daily at the Foreign Ministry in Vienna to evaluate developments in the conflict region with a view to the safety of Austrian citizens there.

Regarding the air traffic situation in the conflict zone, which spans large parts of the Middle East, the Foreign Office noted that the airspace over Israel is also closed to civilian aircraft. Therefore, direct travel from Israel to Austria is not possible. Travel is possible—even independently—by land via Jordan and Egypt."However, the Israeli authorities recommend that foreign nationals remain in the country for the time being and stay near shelters, as further rocket attacks from Iran are to be expected."

Other countries also "evacuate"

Many other countries are also organizing the departure of their citizens from the Middle East region. On Thursday, South Korea's Foreign Ministry reported the evacuation of 18 citizens from Iran, according to the Reuters news agency.

French nationals wishing to leave Iran were also advised to depart via Armenia and Turkey. Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot emphasized on Thursday that no visas are required for these countries. For those unable to do so, a convoy will be organized by the weekend. French officials are deployed at the border crossings, the minister said, according to the AFP news agency. There are currently around 900 French nationals or dual nationals in Iran. French nationals wishing to leave Israel should first travel overland to Jordan or Egypt. An evacuation flight from the Jordanian capital, Amman, will be scheduled for the weekend to facilitate the departure of those in need. Barrot reiterated his call for the utmost caution to the approximately 150,000 French nationals living in Israel.

Meanwhile, the US Embassy in Israel announced evacuations by air and sea. The embassy is working on"evacuation flights and cruise ship departures" for "US citizens who wish to leave Israel," Ambassador Mike Huckabee wrote online. Japan is also organizing evacuations by bus. According to the government in Tokyo, about 1,000 Japanese live in Israel and about 280 in Iran.

On Wednesday, Germany flew 171 citizens who had left Israel for the Jordanian capital, Amman. Another flight was planned for Thursday. The Czech Republic and Slovakia brought 181 citizens home from Israel on government planes. Greece also repatriated more than 100 citizens from Israel. A plane carrying 148 people who had left Israel landed in the Bulgarian capital, Sofia, on Tuesday.

China brought 1,600 citizens from Iran

China initially evacuated more than 1,600 citizens from Iran and several hundred from Israel."The embassies and consulates will continue to do everything possible to support the safe transfer and evacuation of Chinese citizens," the Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Thursday.

Pakistan has kept its border with neighboring Iran closed. However, Pakistani citizens who wish to return home are now allowed to cross the border. About 1,000 Pakistanis, including at least 200 students, have already done so. According to the Foreign Ministry in New Delhi, more than 100 Indian students also left Iran via the land border with Armenia.

Australia has begun evacuating approximately 1,500 Australians from Iran and 1,200 citizens from Israel. However, due to the fighting, it is too dangerous for civilian aircraft to land in the two countries, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong told ABC."We have taken the opportunity to evacuate a small group of Australians across the land border from Israel," Wong said. The government is seeking further evacuations.