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LAST UPDATE | 22 Jun
A GROUP OF 15 Irish citizens and dependents have departed from Israel today, the Tánaiste said, as the conflict between the country and its longtime foe Iran has soured further.
In a statement, Tánaiste Simon Harris said: “The individuals concerned departed in operations organised by an EU partner and they are expected to arrive in Ireland in the coming days.”
He said that his department and Ireland’s embassy in Tel Aviv have remained in close contact with Irish citizens in the region “throughout this crisis”, and added that they have “worked closely with our EU and other partners” to coordinate its response to the situation.
“I would like to thank the Government of Austria for the close cooperation which resulted in today’s successful evacuation,” Harris said.
“We continue to advise citizens in both Israel and Iran to remain vigilant, to monitor developments and media, and to follow advice from the authorities, including when this is to shelter in place.
“All citizens in the region should register with the nearest Irish Embassy, if they have not already done so.”
Last night, it was announced by US President Donald Trump that the US had bombed three nuclear enrichment sites in Iran after Israel had earlier launched attacks on Iran over a week ago.
There has been discussion in recent days regarding the potential evacuation of Irish passport holders who are residing in either country. Before this evening’s announcement, Harris said that his Foreign Affairs Department was also working with a smaller number of citizens in Iran who had requested an evacuation.
Around 29 Irish citizens in Iran had registered with the Irish embassy and around 200 in Israel.
The government remains in contact with embassies in Israel and Iran. Staff in Tehran left the country on Friday and have since been working remotely.
Speaking to RTÉ Radio One this afternoon, Harris confirmed that a civil protection operation with EU member states is taking place in order to extract European citizens from the region.
He said while it is an ongoing operation, with further and more significant updates pending, only a small number of Irish citizens are seeking assistance from the joint mission currently.
Harris said he spoke to Iran’s deputy foreign minister today, at their request, who was “full of anger”.
“He did say to me that it was the view of Iran that the aggressors would have to learn lessons and pay a price,” he told reporters at Government Buildings.
“Of course I articulated in the strongest possible terms that Ireland and the European Union doesn’t want to see that, we want to see people step back from the brink and engage in dialogue.”
Harris said the US strikes on Iran had made a “volatile situation even more dangerous” and added an “extra layer of complexity” to what was already a “tinderbox”.
When asked whether he supported Trump’s strikes on Iran, Harris said: “I think it’s resulted in an extraordinarily dangerous escalation of a conflict that already best be described as a tinderbox.
“We’re now entering a moment of particular danger, because I think the chances now of a spiral of escalation are more likely than ever before, and there is a real prospect now of the international community losing all control of this very, very volatile conflict.”
He said there was only a “very small” number of Irish citizens, many dual nationals, seeking an evacuation, and they were working with European counterparts.
With reporting by Press Association
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