More than 130 Maltese contact ministry requesting help leaving Middle East

Updated 6.43pm

More than 130 Maltese nationals living in the Middle East have contacted the foreign ministry requesting assistance returning to Malta.  

Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Ian Borg told Times of Malta that seven Maltese nationals in Qatar and 125 in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) had requested assistance leaving the region, which was plunged into conflict yesterday as the US and Israel struck Iran. 

The Islamic Republic responded with a barrage of missile and drone attacks against US and Israeli forces in the region, as well as neighbouring Gulf states harbouring US air bases.  

By yesterday evening, dozens of Maltese nationals had sought to return home as videos circulated online showing powerful blasts in Dubai and airlines including Air France, Air India, Turkish Airlines, Norwegian, Air Algerie and Lufthansa announced widespread cancellations.

Three US military personnel were announced to have been killed on Sunday, the first American casualties since the start of the conflict. 

Borg said that an additional two Maltese in Jordan had contacted the government for assistance, but later managed to book passage on flights departing through Cairo, Egypt.  

In total, more than 1,650 Maltese nationals are known to be living in the Middle East, the vast majority – some 1,500 – in Dubai.

Nine Maltese are residents of Saudi Arabia, in addition to three family members with dual nationality, while Qatar is home to 70 Maltese residents, seven of whom had asked for help returning to Malta.

There are some 38 Maltese nationals living in Kuwait, 10 in Bahrain and one Maltese national currently in the latter country for business purposes. Thirty Maltese citizens are known to be living in Israel and Palestine, with one currently visiting the region.

Some 125 Maltese nationals living in Dubai contacted the ministry for assistance.

Qatar and UAE offer accommodation

The development comes after Borg announced earlier Sunday that Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will provide accommodation for Maltese citizens stranded abroad without alternative arrangements.

The news came following meetings between the two countries’ leadership and Borg, who discussed the measure and other regional developments in a Facebook post Sunday.

The deputy PM said he met with Qatar’s prime minister and the UAE’s deputy prime minister ahead of an emergency meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council later today.

Qatari PM Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani and UAE deputy PM Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan said their two countries would provide accommodation to all travellers, including Maltese, whose accommodation arrangements may have lapsed.

They also encouraged Malta to continue discussions with Israel and the US on the repatriation of EU citizens from the region, Borg said.

Borg conveyed Malta’s condemnation of Iran’s retaliatory strikes on neighbouring Gulf states and called for restraint to avoid further escalation of the conflict.

"Malta will continue to advocate for restraint, dialogue, international law and the protection of civilians, including Maltese in these countries”, he said.

Borg reiterated the foreign ministry’s advice for Maltese citizens in the Gulf states not to go outside unless necessary, and those in Malta and elsewhere to refrain from travelling to the region until further notice.

"Our thoughts go out to those who live in the region or were visiting one country or another. Our embassies and consular directorates are in touch with Maltese citizens in the affected countries”, the foreign minister said.

His post follows more than a day of startling developments in the Middle East, which began Saturday morning when US President Donald Trump announced “major combat operations” in Iran as the US and Israel launched unprecedented air strikes against the country.

Iranian missiles rained down on Israel and neighbouring Gulf states harbouring US military bases in retaliation, as the region teetered towards a full-scale war.

As the conflict escalated, Maltese soldiers from the Special Operations Unit, who were headed to Jordan for specialised training, were asked to return home. 

The joint US-Israeli strikes have already claimed the lives of numerous figures in the Iranian leadership, including its supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who ruled the country since 1989. 

Iranian state television confirmed Khamenei's death early Sunday, hours after President Donald Trump announced the killing of the 86-year-old cleric he described as "one of the most evil people in history."

A fresh wave of attacks following Khamenei's death were reported Sunday.