RIYADH ( WNAM REPORT ): The UK’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office is drawing up plans to evacuate tens of thousands of British citizens if war in the Middle East escalates, several British media outlets have reported.
There are conflicting accounts as to how many British nationals are resident, on holiday or otherwise traveling across the Gulf, but the FCO said 76,000 have so far registered their presence in affected areas of the region.
According to The Guardian, more than 50,000 of those are believed to be in the UAE, and most are holidaymakers or other travelers rather than residents, with Dubai a major tourist and business destination. Its airspace is currently closed, leaving tourists without a clear plan for getting home.
The Foreign Office’s advice is against all travel to Iran, Israel, and Palestine. It also advises against all but essential travel to the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain, and there are further instructions to avoid travel to some parts of Pakistan.
According to the X account of the British ambassador to Saudi Arabia, British nationals in the Kingdom are advised to stay at home, while those in Jordan, Oman, Syria, Lebanon, Yemen and Iraq should take precautions given the heightened regional tensions.
