Ukrainian ambassador: No urgent need for evacuation from Israel at this time
As of the evening of March 2, the Ukrainian Embassy in Israel had no information about Ukrainians killed or wounded as a result of the hostilities.
According to Ukrinform, Ambassador of Ukraine to the State of Israel Yevgen Korniychuk reported this in a comment to Radio Liberty.
“As for evacuation, people have been asking, but there aren't that many. Right now, I have 25 requests. These are people who came on pilgrimage tours and, of course, didn't expect this to happen. And those who were visiting friends and family for a short time and would like to leave,” the diplomat said.
The embassy has also not received any requests from citizens who have run out of money or have nowhere to stay.
"As of today, in my opinion, there is no urgent need for evacuation, as the crossing to Egypt is open 24 hours a day. You can get there by bus or private transport, and from there it is a 2-hour drive to Sharm el-Sheikh. On Saturday, at the time of the attack, we had delegations – we also took them to the Egyptian border," Korniychuk said.
The ambassador added that the embassy is in contact with people via a hotline or by mail, and Ukrainian consuls are receiving citizens as usual.
According to him, if more than 100 people sign up, the embassy will contact private companies to organize evacuation flights. He noted that the current situation is different from the previous one:
"Air raid alarms sound, but they are much less frequent and quite short. That is, the alarm is not like in Ukraine (where it can last half a day). Here, it's 15-20 minutes: An explosion, a bomb shelter, an all-clear, and then people go back to their business. But I emphasize that you have to pay close attention to the messages from the Israeli Home Front Command and follow all the instructions. This significantly reduces or even eliminates fatalities," Korniychuk warns.
As reported by Ukrinform, on February 28, the US and Israel launched joint strikes on regime targets in Iran. Iran then attacked US bases in Kuwait, the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, and Jordan.
On March 2, the Chief of the General Staff of the Israel Defense Forces, Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir, announced the start of an offensive campaign against the Hezbollah group.
Israel mobilized 100,000 reservists due to the escalation of the conflict with Iran. This decision was made to strengthen the country's defense capabilities.
Photo: Embassy of Ukraine in the State of Israel / Facebook