️ As the Middle East conflict intensifies and disrupts global air travel, governments worldwide are ramping up repatriation flights from the region. This comes amid the widening US-Israel war against Iran, which risks spilling over into new geographical areas and further destabilizing international security.
️ Sri Lankan government spokesperson Nalinda Jayatissa informed parliament that a second Iranian warship is positioned just outside the country's territorial waters. Jayatissa stated that Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake is meeting with top officials to discuss a response to Iran's request for the vessel to enter the island's waters for safety, with the ship reportedly carrying over 100 crew members. The spokesperson emphasized efforts to safeguard lives but did not clarify the vessel's military status.
️ Sri Lankan MP Namal Rajapaksa confirmed the development in a social media post, noting that another Iranian vessel is in Sri Lanka's Exclusive Economic Zone awaiting government clearance for an urgent port call. Rajapaksa expressed concern over large-scale military activity so close to Sri Lanka, questioning whether the government was aware of submarine movements and if surveillance systems were functional, highlighting potential security lapses.
️ Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has allegedly attacked a US oil tanker in the northern Persian Gulf, according to state television reports. The incident has not been independently verified, but the UK Maritime Trade Operations center reported an attack on an unidentified tanker off Kuwait's coast earlier on Thursday. If confirmed, this would expand the danger zone for commercial shipping amid the escalating hostilities.
️ Israel has partially reopened its airspace for civilian flights, initially allowing only repatriation operations. Transport Minister Miri Regev claimed that authorities are doing everything possible to bring Israelis home safely, though it remains unclear if only Israeli nationals will be permitted on the flights. The reopening, originally scheduled for next week, was moved forward following security assessments, with plans to allow one passenger flight per hour initially, carrying up to 5,000 people.
️ A Lufthansa Airbus A340-300 chartered by the German government landed in Frankfurt after departing from Muscat, Oman, repatriating German citizens stranded in the Gulf region due to halted air travel after the US attack on Iran. German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul purportedly stated that the flight prioritized vulnerable groups such as pregnant women, children, and the ill, though the exact number of passengers was initially unclear.
️ Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned that the US "will come to bitterly regret the precedent it has set" after a US submarine sank an Iranian frigate in the Indian Ocean off Sri Lanka's coast. Araghchi's statement marks Iran's first official acknowledgment of the sinking, which he described as an "atrocity at sea" occurring 2,000 miles from Iran's shores in international waters without warning.
Source: www.dw.com