Had Been Diverted To Saudi Arabia, Flights Carrying 18 Indonesian Citizens From Iran Waiting For Schedule To Indonesia

JAKARTA - Flights carrying 18 Indonesian citizens evacuated from Iran are waiting for a flight schedule to the country, after being hampered by the closure of airspace due to conflicts in the Middle East.

"In addition to 11 people, 18 people were scheduled to arrive this afternoon. However, due to flight disruptions, using Qatar Airways, their flight to Doha was disrupted, and even had been diverted to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, for several hours to dock there. Thank God it has now been successfully flown from Jeddah to Doha," said Director General of Protocol and Consular Affairs of the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Andy Rachmianto in a press statement at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, Tangerang, Banten, Tuesday 24 June.

"We are still waiting for the flight schedule from Doha to Jakarta," he added.

Israel launched airstrikes in the "Raising Lion" operation on June 13 which it claimed targeted Iranian nuclear and military facilities. Tehran responded to that by launching attacks on a number of targets in Israeli cities.

On June 21, the United States launched a "Midnight Hammer" operation on the targets of Iran's nuclear facilities in Natanz, Fordow, and Isfahan. Iran responded to that by attacking US military bases in the Middle East.

Late Monday, the Iranian Armed Forces launched airstrikes targeting the US-owned Al-Udeid airbase in Qatar in the "Promise of Victory" operation.

The Iranian attack last night made Qatar close its airspace. Originally, the plane carrying 18 Indonesian citizens would arrive at around 15:00 WI in the country.

Andy added that the government, in this case, is here to provide services and assistance to evacuate Indonesian citizens in the Middle East region.

"The situation that occurred there was very dynamic. We are working with several ministries to prepare a team between ministries which in 24 hours continue to monitor the development of the security situation in the Gulf Area," Andy explained.

"The Indonesian Embassy in Tehran and the Indonesian Embassy in Baku are taking care of the flights of 68 other Indonesian citizens who have been evacuated from Iran for immediate return to Jakarta," said Andy.

It is known that the coordination between the Indonesian Embassy in Tehran, the Indonesian Embassy in Baku and the government managed to cross 97 people, consisting of 96 Indonesian citizens and 1 Iranian citizen who is a couple of Indonesian citizens.

The evacuation process by road for approximately 16 hours. Those who were successfully evacuated were already in Baku, Azerbaijan and will be repatriated gradually.

Spokesperson for the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Roy Soemirat said those who were successfully evacuated were 96 Indonesian citizens, including 3 Indonesian Embassy staff, and 1 foreigner wife from Indonesian citizens. Of that number, 53 men and 44 women, including 5 children.