Greece has completed the first phase of a coordinated repatriation operation to bring home citizens stranded in the Middle East, amid rising military tensions and regional instability.
According to the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs, officials carried out the first repatriation missions on March 3 and March 4, 2026. The Foreign Minister directed the effort, while the Ministry’s central services worked closely with Greek diplomatic authorities abroad to execute the plan.
As a result, 162 Greek citizens and their family members have safely returned to Greece from areas affected by the ongoing crisis.
First phase of Greece’s Middle East repatriation completed
Greece organized the operation through three separate evacuation routes spanning multiple countries, ensuring different groups could move quickly and safely. First, the largest group, 93 Greek citizens and their relatives, departed from Oman on a special Aegean Airlines flight. Greek embassies in Riyadh and Abu Dhabi supported the coordination to keep the process moving smoothly.
Next, 42 Greek citizens traveled overland from Bethlehem to Egypt, with the transfer coordinated on the ground by the Greek Consul in Jerusalem. Meanwhile, 27 members of the Aris Thessaloniki youth team flew from the United Arab Emirates to Istanbul. From there, they continued by road to Thessaloniki, with the Greek Consulate in Istanbul managing the arrangements.
📌 Ανακοίνωση Υπουργείου Εξωτερικών για τον επαναπατρισμό Ελλήνων από τη Μέση Ανατολή
🔗 https://t.co/Sii4EOs4bu pic.twitter.com/rokpSCkyNQ
— Υπουργείο Εξωτερικών (@GreeceMFA) March 5, 2026
Foreign ministry remains on alert
Greek authorities say repatriation efforts continue. At the same time, they stress that the Foreign Ministry remains on full alert to assist Greek citizens affected by the conflict across the wider Middle East.
In addition, the government has published emergency contact numbers for Greeks in Iran and elsewhere in the region. Citizens can find those details on the website of the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs.