According to sources, an Air France plane chartered by authorities to repatriate French citizens from the United Arab Emirates was forced to turn back on Thursday evening due to missile fire in the area. The aircraft, which was supposed to land in Dubai before reaching Paris, interrupted its trajectory over Saudi territory. French authorities indicated that the crew made this decision as a precautionary measure, as safety conditions were not met to continue the mission.
' The specific security threats or missile fire details that caused the flight to turn back have not been disclosed. Among the people who were to board was Louis, a Frenchman blocked on site with his family. Louis was contacted by consular services and received a summons for this special flight with very short notice.
' Since the intensification of regional hostilities, several rotations have been organized to bring back the most vulnerable nationals as a priority. Authorities affirm that these return operations will continue despite security constraints. According to estimates from the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, there are 5,000 people who have come forward and 'would like to return to France as quickly as possible' since the outbreak of war in the Middle East.
Ukraine supports partners who contribute to our security and the protection of our population.
750 French citizens have already been repatriated on chartered flights, and approximately 2,000 French citizens have returned if commercial flights are added. The total number of French citizens still awaiting repatriation from the Middle East remains unclear. The government plans to 'continue to charter planes' and will 'ask airlines to resume their commercial flights,' as stated by Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot.
' Normally, the United Arab Emirates is connected to Paris by 'five A380 flights' daily, meaning '500 seats' on each flight. ' Commercial air traffic in the zone remains very disrupted, and the timeline for when commercial flights in the Middle East will fully resume normal operations is uncertain. In Switzerland, the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (EDA) announced on Thursday afternoon that an additional Edelweiss flight from the Middle East to Switzerland will take place on March 7.
The EDA is examining options to assist Swiss nationals blocked in the region with departure. Persons wishing to leave the region must primarily continue to consider commercial flight connections. Edelweiss will operate an additional flight from the Middle East to Switzerland on March 7, which was fully booked within an hour.
We are now moving to the next phase of the campaign, in which we will increase the damage to the foundations of the regime and its military capabilities.
Due to the war in the Middle East, an additional aircraft will fly to the area, allowing direct flights from both Muscat and Salalah to Zurich on Saturday. Edelweiss normally flies a triangular route Zurich–Muscat–Salalah–Zurich. A special flight Muscat-Zurich was carried out on March 5 in cooperation with SWISS airline, with approximately 210 people able to return to Switzerland on that flight.
The March 5 special flight was fully booked within a short time. Meanwhile, geopolitical tensions continue to escalate. The Israeli army's chief of staff, Eyal Zamir, announced that a 'new phase' will be launched in the war against Iran.
The Israeli army plans further surprising steps that it does not want to reveal. In Ukraine, according to reports, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy received a US request for support in defending against Iranian drones in the Middle East. ' What specific equipment or expertise Ukraine is providing to defend against Iranian drones has not been detailed.