Middle East crisis Reactions

Evacuations in Cyprus – more EU countries are moving to defend the island

People are being evacuated from the area around the British military base in Cyprus where an Iranian drone crashed earlier this week. This is reported by SR's correspondent on site in the area.

At the same time, more European countries are promising to strengthen the defense of the EU country Cyprus. Italy, Spain, Greece and the Netherlands promise to send naval resources in the coming days, according to TT and AFP. France has already moved a frigate and air defense to the Mediterranean, according to CNN.

French fighter jets are also patrolling the airspace of the United Arab Emirates to protect French bases in the country. Italy is also now sending air defense to the Persian Gulf to assist Iran's neighboring countries, says Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, according to TT.

Sri Lanka evacuates Iranian ship crew

Sri Lanka has begun evacuating the crew of an Iranian ship off the country's coast, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake said, according to Reuters.

This comes a day after another Iranian ship was sunk by a US submarine off the island. No new attack has been carried out - according to the Sri Lankan government, the evacuation is being carried out as a precaution.

- After extensive discussions with all parties, Sri Lanka has decided to rescue the Iranian ship, says the president, urging all parties involved to act peacefully.

The 208 people on board will be taken to the port of Trincomalee.

Air France plane forced to turn back - missiles in the air

An Air France plane, chartered by the French government to fly stranded French people home from the United Arab Emirates, was forced to return today due to missile attacks in the vicinity. This is what French Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot wrote on X.

The incident clearly reflects how unstable the region is and how difficult it is to bring citizens home, he continues.

“We fully understand the legitimate expectations of our citizens, but we can only bring them home under guaranteed safe conditions.”