Flight cancellations leave South Africans stranded during Iran conflict

The major transit hub of Dubai has been closed due after the US and Israel exchanged missile strikes with Iran on Saturday morning. The Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) has confirmed that it is actively communicating with South Africans stranded in Gulf nations in the wake of the recent US and Israeli military strikes on Iran and the ensuing retaliatory attacks. In response to the escalating conflict, South Africa, along with several other countries worldwide, have cancelled international flights due to significant airspace closures across the Middle East.

The US and Israel launched a massive and coordinated military offensive against Iran on Saturday. DIRCO spokesperson Chrispin Phiri said no South Africans stated that they are in distress so far, while the deputy director-general, Clayson Monyela, said the department is in communication with South Africans stranded in the region and is reviewing evacuation contingencies. “So far we have not lost anybody.

The South Africans we know of are all accounted for. We are monitoring the situation. But the challenge is that unfortunately, it is not possible to move people out to those places because there is no means to do that,” Monyela said. The departments said evacuations of South Africans in Gulf nations can’t take place until the bombing stops International bodies including the United Nations and the African Union have called for a de-escalation of tensions.