The group was flown in from Amman, the capital of Jordan, where they had arrived after leaving Israel.
The Slovak Interior Ministry reported that the aircraft carried 30 Slovak citizens, including 25 tourists stranded in Jordan and five diplomatic staff. The flight also included 10 Austrians, 14 Czechs, one Slovenian, and three EU representatives - nationals of Slovenia, Spain, and Estonia.
At a press conference held at Bratislava airport, Slovakia’s ministers of the interior, foreign affairs, and defence confirmed that the Polish evacuees were employees of their country’s diplomatic mission in Israel. Their return to Europe was part of a broader repatriation effort amid growing security concerns in the region.
The first of two evacuation flights carried Slovak citizens as well as other nationals from the Middle East. Photo: JAKUB GAVLAK/PAP/EPA
Czech repatriation through an undisclosed transit country
Meanwhile, the Czech Republic carried out its own evacuation operation. A military aircraft landed in Prague early Tuesday morning, bringing back 66 people, primarily family members of Czech citizens, along with a small number of foreign nationals.
Zítra Ministerstvo zahraničních věcí ČR ve spoluráci s Ministerstvo obrany České republiky vyšle repatriační let pro...
Opublikowany przez Czech Embassy Tel Aviv, Israel Niedziela, 15 czerwca 2025
Evacuees were first transported by bus to an undisclosed neighbouring country, from where they flew to the Czech Republic. Authorities declined to name the country involved, citing security reasons.
Czech Defence Minister Jana Černochová described the evacuation as “very challenging under complicated conditions” in a statement on social media. The Czech ambassador to Israel did not rule out further flights, which would prioritise women and children.
Poland among first to act amid difficult evacuation conditions
Slovakia has announced additional repatriation flights in the coming days. On Tuesday, an aircraft is scheduled to depart from Larnaca, Cyprus, followed by another flight from Amman on Wednesday. That operation will focus on evacuating citizens of Spain, Italy, Romania, and the Netherlands, as well as family members of Slovak diplomatic staff based in Tel Aviv.
Poland, which successfully evacuated its diplomatic personnel from Israel on a Slovak-organized flight, has also highlighted its early response to the deteriorating security situation.
Speaking on Monday evening to Polish broadcaster TVN24, Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski said, “We’re carrying out this evacuation as one of the first. I’ve just learned that Germany is now doing the same, but France, the United Kingdom, and the United States have not initiated such efforts yet.”
Poland's top diplomat added that the operation was particularly challenging because “unlike in previous cases, the airport is closed,” significantly complicating logistics.
These repatriation missions by Central European countries come in response to escalating tensions in the Middle East, particularly the worsening conflict between Israel and Iran. The operations aim to ensure the safety of both civilians and diplomatic personnel stationed in the region.
Read more about this topic:
Source: IAR/PR24/@MSZ_RP/TVN24/@PragueMorning/Facebook/Czech Embassy Tel Aviv