The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has activated an emergency preparedness plan and begun a partial evacuation of its embassy in Tehran, as a joint US-Israeli military strike on Iran on Saturday triggered retaliatory missile attacks across the Gulf, putting Ghanaian nationals in Bahrain, Israel, Kuwait, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates directly in harm’s way.
A statement, issued on Saturday, said it was “closely monitoring with serious concern the escalating hostilities in the Middle East” and was already assessing whether full evacuations of Ghanaian nationals would be necessary.
“An emergency preparedness plan has been activated, and assessments are ongoing regarding the evacuation of Ghanaian nationals where necessary,” the Ministry stated, adding that the government had “at this time initiated the evacuation of several staff of the Embassy of Ghana in Tehran, retaining essential personnel to coordinate assistance to Ghanaians in the Islamic Republic of Iran.”
The Ministry then urged all Ghanaian nationals across the affected countries to remain indoors, avoid large gatherings and sensitive locations, comply with directives from local authorities, keep travel documents accessible, and maintain contact with the nearest Ghanaian diplomatic mission.
All Ghanaians were also advised to avoid non-essential travel to and from the Middle East until further notice.
On Saturday, the United States and Israel carried out a series of joint military strikes on Iran, with explosions reported in central Tehran.
The attacks followed the largest US military buildup in the Middle East since the 2003 invasion of Iraq, with two aircraft carriers including the USS Gerald R. Ford deployed to the region.
Iran’s retaliation was swift and wide-ranging, targeting US military assets across the Gulf.
In a related development, hundreds of travellers were left stranded at Accra International Airport on Saturday night as the escalating conflict in the Middle East forced the immediate suspension of flights to Dubai.
The disconnection of the critical transit hub comes after a day of unprecedented military violence that has seen the United States and Israel launch a joint regime-change operation against Iran, codenamed “Roaring Lion” and “Operation Epic Fury”.
The local impact was felt at 7:15 pm GMT on Saturday, when Emirates flight EK 788, scheduled to depart from Terminal 3, was officially cancelled.
The grounding effectively severs one of Ghana’s most vital links to Asia, Europe, and North America.
The cancellation follows a domino effect of airspace closures across the Middle East. Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Iraq, and the United Arab Emirates have all shuttered their skies to commercial traffic following a barrage of Iranian retaliatory missile strikes aimed at U.S. military bases and regional targets.
BY TIMES REPORTER
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