Berlin to evacuate German children, pregnant women from Middle East

The German government is preparing to evacuate vulnerable nationals stranded due to the conflict in the Middle East, including children, sick people and pregnant women, Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said on Monday.

Aircraft will be sent to the Saudi capital Riyadh and Muscat in Oman, Wadephul said.

Up to 30,000 tourists from German travel agencies are believed to be affected by the escalating regional conflict, which began on Saturday with US-Israeli strikes on Iran.

Tehran has since retaliated, attacking US bases in Gulf states such as Qatar and the United Arab Emirates that also serve as major international transport hubs.

A spokesman for the German Defence Ministry had said earlier on Monday that evacuations would be a "last resort."

Wadephul said the Foreign Ministry would send crisis support teams to Muscat, Doha and Dubai, while "further teams are investigating the situation at the border crossings."

German nationals could be encouraged to cross the border into countries such as Oman and Saudi Arabia whose airspace is still open.

A team from the German Embassy in Cairo is assisting with the border crossing from Israel.

Wadephul emphasized that the Foreign Office is coordinating closely with the travel industry.

The foreign minister said he is in talks with Lufthansa, the travel group TUI and the German Travel Association, among others.

Lufthansa has the capacity to bring Germans home, Wadephul said after speaking with the airline's chief executive, Carsten Spohr.

"We have a common goal: we want to help Germans get home," Wadephul said.

Wadephul also made it clear that the German government would only resort to the Bundeswehr - the country's military - in an emergency if there was no other option.