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Officials are working to evacuate the greater than 300,000 British nationals within the Gulf amid US and Israel strikes against Iran.
British nationals have been asked to inform the Foreign Office in the event that they are in Bahrain, Israel, Kuwait, the Palestinian territories, Qatar or the United Arab Emirates.
No less than 94,000 people as of yesterday have registered, of them 50,000 within the UAE, with many being stranded holiday-makers or travellers.
Are you a UK national within the Middle East? Email us at josh.milton@metro.co.uk
Luxury hotels, Dubai’s luxury man-made archipelago Palm Jumeirah and its foremost airport have been damaged as intercepted missile scraps spark fires.
UK travel advice for the UAE was updated on Saturday, warning travellers against ‘all but essential travel’.
Some flights to and from Dubai, Doha and other major travel hubs within the Middle East have been cancelled, raising fears of an airspace shutdown.
Speaking on Sky News this morning, Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said most local advice is to shelter-in-place.
She added: ‘Now we have to recognise the size of this as well and likewise the proven fact that there are strikes still underway, Iranian strikes on those Gulf countries.
Gulf countries who, frankly, weren’t involved in any strikes on Iran and who are actually being targeted.’
Sir Keir Starmer said yesterday evening: ‘I do know it is a deeply worrying time. And we’ll proceed to do all we are able to to support you.’
The right way to register your presence with the Foreign Office in case you’re within the Middle East
The evacuation plans come after US-Israeli attacks on Iran killed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the nation’s leader for nearly 37 years, on Saturday.
US President Donald Trump has said heavy and deadly bombing would proceed to pound Iran this week, with 2,000 targets already struck.
Among the many casualties are at the least 115 people, most youngsters, killed when bombs struck an Iranian school and three US soldiers at a base in Kuwait.
He added that the goal was to tear apart the nuclear programme of Iran, which doesn’t have any nukes but does have the fuel needed for them.
Israel launched attacks overnight on Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militant group, shattering a fragile truce.
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