Repatriation flight to bring home 70 Czechs from Israel

A repatriation flight is being sent to evacuate Czech citizens from Israel, where they registered with the embassy in Tel Aviv, the Czech Foreign Ministry said.

According to Czech Ambassador to Israel Veronika Kuchyňová Šmigolová a convoy carrying Czech citizens evacuated from Israel set off on Monday morning toward the border of a neighboring country. She declined to name the destination country for security reasons. According to the ambassador, the government plane — with a capacity of about 80 seats — is expected to be “essentially full.” The ambassador said there may be more evacuation flights in the future; the first one will primarily carry women and children. The embassy-organized convoy was mainly sought out by families, but also by elderly individuals. Other Czech citizens are leaving Israel independently.

Amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran, Israeli airspace is closed, and airlines have been canceling flights between Israel and Prague since Friday.

The Czech Foreign Ministry has warned against travel to Israel, Lebanon, and Jordan, and has urged all Czech citizens to leave Iran.

As of the weekend, 144 Czechs were registered in Israel via the DROZD travel system, 50 in Jordan, 55 in Lebanon, and two in Iran. Hundreds of Czech citizens also live in Israel long-term, according to the Foreign Ministry.