US says first charter flight takes Americans from war

The State Department has faced criticism for not providing quicker paths out of the Middle East. Read more at straitstimes.com.

Washington - The United States on March 4 flew its first charter flight from the war-hit Middle East, the State Department said, after 17,500 Americans were estimated to have left on their own.

The State Department said the first charter flight had left the Middle East on March 4 but provided no details, citing operational concerns.

“Additional flights will be surged across the region,” it said in a statement, asking Americans in Israel, the UAE, Qatar and Saudi Arabia to sign up online.

The State Department has faced criticism from travellers and lawmakers for not providing quicker paths out of the region, even though the United States and Israel started the war Saturday with a joint attack on Iran.

Iran has since fired missiles and drones across the region, hoping to wreak havoc in the usually stable Gulf Arab monarchies.

More than 17,500 Americans have returned to the United States since the war started, with 8,500 returning on March 3, assistant secretary of state Dylan Johnson said.