Germany discussing 'all options' to evacuate citizens from Israel

The German government is discussing options for a possible evacuation of German nationals from Israel amid the escalating conflict with Iran.

After other European states including Poland and the Czech Republic began repatriating citizens from Israel, a spokesman for the Foreign Office in Berlin said some countries have fewer nationals on the ground than Germany.

"We are also looking at all options," said the spokesman. The German government's crisis team met on Monday to discuss the issue.

With airspace currently closed due to missile strikes, direct flights are not an option.

The Foreign Office called on all German citizens in the region to register on the country's crisis prevention list, known as Electronic Registration of Germans Abroad (ELEFAND), so that they can be contacted directly.

"For Israel, I can report that the ELEFAND list has swollen to almost 4,000 people at the moment, so the numbers there are going up," said the spokesman.

The same is the case for Iran, where there are just under 1,000 entries, he added.

Tensions in the Middle East have escalated into open warfare in recent days between Israel and Iran, with both sides launching missile strikes.

On Friday, Israel launched widespread strikes on Iranian territory, including nuclear sites, defence installations, urban targets, and oil and gas infrastructure. Tehran called these a declaration of war and retaliated.