Nearly 24,000 Americans return to US from Mideast since Feb. 28 Iran war: State Department

WASHINGTON

Nearly 24,000 American citizens have safely returned to the US from the Middle East since Feb. 28, the State Department said Friday amid the ongoing US-Israel war on Iran.

In a statement, Assistant Secretary Dylan Johnson said the figure does not include Americans who have relocated to other countries or those who have departed the Middle East but remain in transit back to the US.

“The Department continues to proactively call American citizens to offer charter flight or ground transport travel assistance,” Johnson said.

Several charter flights have already transported hundreds of Americans back to the US, with additional flights expected in the coming days as security conditions allow, he added.

The announcement comes as tens of thousands of people scramble to leave the Middle East following the US-Israeli joint attacks on Iran, which has disrupted regional aviation and led to widespread flight cancellations.

Much of the region’s airspace has been restricted and more than 23,000 flights have been cancelled since the operation last week, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium.

Tensions have surged since Feb. 28, when US and Israeli forces began airstrikes on Iran that have killed more than 1,000 people, including Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, over 150 schoolgirls, and senior military officials.

Iran has retaliated with drone and missile attacks targeting US-linked sites across Gulf countries. A drone strike in Kuwait killed six US service members at a tactical operations center.