Breaking Update
100,000 Israelis Trapped Abroad Returned Home Since Last Wednesday’s Reopening of Air Space
Since Israel's airspace reopened last Wednesday, nearly 100,000 citizens have returned home, with ongoing operations to bring back Israelis from the UAE.
Jerusalem, 12 March, 2026 (TPS-IL) — Israel’s Minister of Transportation Miri Regev reported that, since the reopening of Israeli airspace on Wednesday at midnight, nearly 100,000 citizens have returned to Israel through Ben Gurion Airport and land crossings. All of Israel’s airports closed at the start of Operation Roaring Lion against Iran on Saturday morning February 28th, leaving several hundred thousand Israelis stranded abroad.
The Ministry of Transportation said it continues to conduct ongoing situation assessments in accordance with security developments.
Minister Regev gave the update on returning Israelis at a press briefing held on Thursday about: “Operation Gulf Lionesses,” the program to return people to Israel who were stuck in Guld states like the UAE.
She said that this operation has entered its final phase, and on Sunday, the new “Operation Lions of the East” will be launched to repatriate Israelis stuck in Thailand and Japan. Regev said they should all be returned home within a week.
