Czech, Slovak planes evacuate 181 people from Israel
The Czech Republic and Slovakia have brought back 181 people home on government planes from Israel amid its conflict with Iran, according to authorities.
The two countries are among the first to send evacuation planes to the Middle East since Israel closed its airspace on Friday after conducting strikes on Iran.
- A Czech government plane carrying 66 people landed in Prague on Tuesday morning, while
- two Slovak planes have taken 115 evacuees to Bratislava over the past two days.
- Another Slovak plane brought 42 passengers of multiple nationalities to Bratislava from Larnaca, Cyprus, on Tuesday.
“I am glad they are all OK. The transport was really demanding in the difficult environment,” Czech Defence Minister Jana Cernochova said about the Czech flight on X.
The Defence Ministry said most of them were Czech nationals.
- “It was not possible to send the army plane straight to Israel,” the ministry said in a statement, citing the airspace closure.
- “The evacuees were taken to an airport in a neighbouring country by buses.
- They crossed the border on foot.”
Evacuees from Israel arrive in Slovakia, Czech Republic as foreigners flee conflict
Poland says it’s planning to evacuate citizens via Jordan, as Taiwan did Sunday, while Germany tells nationals to sit tight; Iran spirits foreign envoys and families across border
- Czech Republic: A Czech government plane transported 66 individuals to Prague on Tuesday morning. Most of these evacuees were Czech nationals.
- Slovakia: Two Slovak planes evacuated 115 people to Bratislava over the past two days.
- One flight on Monday carried 73 passengers, including Slovak tourists and diplomatic staff, as well as citizens of other countries like Poland, Czech Republic, Austria, and Slovenia. Slovakia is planning further evacuation flights.
- Israel closed its airspace on Friday following strikes on Iran.
- The Czech Defence Ministry cited the airspace closure as the reason why the plane could not go directly to Israel.
- Evacuees were taken by bus to an airport in a neighboring country and crossed the border on foot.
- Czech media reported that a convoy left Tel Aviv and boarded a plane in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt
Flights carrying evacuees from Israel have arrived in Slovakia and the Czech Republic, authorities said on Tuesday, putting the two countries among the first to bring citizens home to flee the conflict between Iran and Israel.
- Another Central European country, Poland, said on Tuesday that the evacuation of Poles from Israel was planned for Wednesday and Thursday.
Slovak authorities said the first evacuation flight with 73 people, including 25 Slovak tourists and five family members of Slovak diplomats working in Tel Aviv, had arrived in the capital, Bratislava, late on Monday.
Foreign Minister Juraj Blanar said Slovakia had also helped bring citizens of other countries to Europe, including 15 Poles, mainly children, 14 Czechs, nine Austrians, two Slovenians, and one citizen each of Estonia, Spain and Malaysia.
- Another Slovak plane brought 42 passengers of multiple nationalities to Bratislava from Larnaca, Cyprus, on Tuesday.
Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said Slovakia had helped evacuate seven Hungarians.
Czech Defense Minister Jana Cernochova said that a flight with 66 people evacuated from Israel had landed near Prague.
Both Prague and Bratislava are contemplating sending further planes to the Middle East in the coming days.
- Poland said on Monday that it was organizing the evacuation of around 200 of its citizens from Israel via Jordan.
- On Tuesday, the Polish foreign ministry said it planned to use two planes from Egypt and Jordan for the evacuation, the first of which would take off on Wednesday.
“The plane from Sharm el-Sheikh will take off first, the one from Amman will take off second, most likely on Thursday morning,” said Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Henryka Moscicka-Dendys.
“We want to service this connection with a military plane, because we see that there are not as many people willing to evacuate as it might seem.”
Flights carrying evacuees from Israel have arrived in Slovakia and the Czech Republic, authorities said on Tuesday, putting the two countries among the first to bring citizens home to flee the conflict between Iran and Israel.
Another Central European country, Poland, said on Tuesday that the evacuation of Poles from Israel was planned for Wednesday and Thursday.
Slovak authorities said the first evacuation flight with 73 people, including 25 Slovak tourists and five family members of Slovak diplomats working in Tel Aviv, had arrived in the capital, Bratislava, late on Monday.
Foreign Minister Juraj Blanar said Slovakia had also helped bring citizens of other countries to Europe, including 15 Poles, mainly children, 14 Czechs, nine Austrians, two Slovenians, and one citizen each of Estonia, Spain and Malaysia.
“Our partners are contacting us and we are preparing another flight on Tuesday, which should include citizens of the Slovak Republic, as well as citizens of the Czech Republic, Austria, Hungary, Latvia, and France,” Blanar said
- Another Slovak plane brought 42 passengers of multiple nationalities to Bratislava from Larnaca, Cyprus, on Tuesday.Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said Slovakia had helped evacuate seven Hungarians
- Czech Defense Minister Jana Cernochova said that a flight with 66 people evacuated from Israel had landed near Prague.
- Both Prague and Bratislava are contemplating sending further planes to the Middle East in the coming days.
Poland said on Monday that it was organizing the evacuation of around 200 of its citizens from Israel via Jordan.
- On Tuesday, the Polish foreign ministry said it planned to use two planes from Egypt and Jordan for the evacuation, the first of which would take off on Wednesday.
- “The plane from Sharm el-Sheikh will take off first, the one from Amman will take off second, most likely on Thursday morning,” said Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Henryka Moscicka-Dendys.
- “We want to service this connection with a military plane, because we see that there are not as many people willing to evacuate as it might seem.”
The German embassy said its nationals in Israel must sit tight until the situation stabilizes. “As long as the airspace is closed and the land gateway is not secure enough, we unfortunately have no possibility to support you with your departure,” it says.
- The ministry is in touch with another nine Taiwanese currently in Iran and will assist them if they need help departing, it said in a statement Monday.
In Iran, some 120 people, including diplomats and their families, were evacuated via Turkmenistan, the country’s foreign ministry said. Many of those evacuated were from fellow Central Asian states of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, officials said.
Four heavy U.S. bombers stationed at key Indian Ocean base: AFP image analysis
Four US Stratofortress bombers are currently stationed at the Diego Garcia base in the Indian Ocean, according to an AFP analysis of satellite imagery, as the conflict between Israel and Iran extended to its fifth straight day.
Yes, the information is accurate. According to recent reports, four US B-52 Stratofortress bombers are stationed at the Diego Garcia base in the Indian Ocean, according to Space War News. This base is a key military facility for the US in the Asia-Pacific region. The bombers arrived in mid-May, according to a news analysis on A2 CNN. Diego Garcia also houses a C-17 Globemaster III transport aircraft and six KC-135 refueling tankers
Pentagon sends six B-52 strategic bombers to key military base 3,000 miles from Iran | Daily Mail Online
- The base, leased to the United States by Britain, is one of its key military facilities in the Asia-Pacific region, and was used as a hub for long-range bombers and ships during the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
- The four B52H Stratofortresses, which can carry nuclear weapons or other precision-guided munitions, were spotted on a southern tarmac at Diego Garcia on Monday at 0922 GMT.
Images provided by Planet Labs indicate they arrived in mid-May.
- A C-17 Globemaster III troop and cargo transport plane is also at the base, according to the AFP analysis,
- as well as six jets likely to be KC-135 airborne refuelling tanker.
The Pentagon said Monday that it was sending ‘additional capabilities’ to the Middle East amid an escalation of the Iran-Israel conflict, while the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz cancelled a Vietnam visit to head toward the Indian Ocean according to Marine Traffic, a ship-tracking site.
Washington has also redeployed around 30 refuelling planes toward bases in Europe.
Khamenei declares ‘the battle begins’
International Desk || risingbd.com
Published: 09:04, 18 June 2025
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has sent a series of apocalyptic messages as US President Donald Trump continues to weigh his options on the ongoing war between the Iranian regime and Israel.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei shared a post on X post Tuesday night that included a disturbing picture with balls of fire raining down on an ancient city.
‘In the name of the noble Haidar, the battle begins,’ he wrote in Farsi, referring to Ali - whom Shia Muslims consider the first Imam and the rightful successor to the prophet Mohammed, Daily Mail reported.
Khamenei also shared a separate message in English, saying: 'We must give a strong response to the terrorist Zionist regime.
Meanwhile, Iranian state television ominously reported that 'tonight, a great surprise will occur - one that the world will remember for centuries.'
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