Vesela Mrđen Korać, Croatian Ambassador to Israel, said in an interview with HRT that the number of Croatian citizens contacting the embassy for evacuation is constantly increasing, writes HRT.
- At the moment we have 54 interested persons, which is not surprising considering that last night, the second night in a row, was also very dramatic with devastating consequences. In addition to our Croatian citizens who are on a tourist visit, we have an increasing number of dual and triple citizens, Israeli-Croatian and Israeli-Croatian and, for example, Austrians, from Great Britain, Germany who are contacting us for help in leaving the state of Israel, said Mrđen Korać.
She stressed that land border crossings with Jordan and Egypt are currently open. However, these crossings are not recommended for security reasons.
- To get to the border with Egypt, you have to drive five hours through the Negev Desert, which is home to nuclear facilities and a large part of the military airbases, which are primary targets when rockets are fired. It is slightly shorter to the border with Jordan, but there are still no guarantees that there will be no rockets on that road. These roads are outside populated areas, so they do not have any air defense, there is no Iron Dome there. If there is a rocket attack, the risks are very high, the ambassador emphasized.
She said that talks are being held with the Israeli side and colleagues from European Union members on the ground, but also through Zagreb, and they are examining the possibilities of what would be the best and safest option for evacuation.
- We hope that it will happen soon, with one of the member states' aircraft or perhaps through a third party. So, all options are open at this moment, said Mrđen Korać, adding that the ambassadors will discuss this with the Israeli Foreign Minister this afternoon.
She also reminded that recommendations were published on the official website of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs stating that all non-essential travel should be avoided during the war period.
- Now the instructions are that there is no travel and that everyone who needs help should contact us. It said that it was a state of war, that the security situation was unpredictable and that it could suddenly deteriorate at any moment.
She pointed out that Croatian aircraft have neither the permits nor the equipment to be able to land at Ben Gurion Airport, or Tel Aviv.
"We are now talking to the Israeli side, which has aircraft with anti-missile systems. In situations like this, only Israeli aircraft actually fly," the ambassador told HRT.
Source: HRT
Photo: Pixabay
