The US State Department announced on Friday that nearly 24,000 US citizens have returned to the United States from the Middle East since US-Israeli military strikes launched against Iran on February 28.
The figures do not include the many US citizens who have moved to other countries or those who have left the Middle East but are still in transit back to the United States, the ministry said in a statement, Xinhua reported.
Several flights have returned hundreds of American citizens to the United States of America, and additional flights are planned for the following days, if security conditions permit, the statement said.
Most of the 24,000 US citizens managed to return on their own using commercial transport, according to media reports.
The Trump administration has been criticized for not organizing a timely evacuation for American citizens amid the escalating conflict.
On social media, many stranded American citizens said they encountered closed airports, canceled flights and what they said were unsettling or unclear guidance from the US government as they tried to find ways to leave the region.
(Vijesti.ba / FENA)
