PRAGUE, June 18, 2025 (AFP) – The Czech Republic and Slovakia have taken 181 people home on government planes from Israel following its conflict with Iran, authorities said on Tuesday.

The two countries are among the first to send evacuation planes to the Middle East since Israel closed its air space Friday after conducting strikes on Iran.

A Czech government plane carrying 66 people landed in Prague on Tuesday morning, while two Slovak planes have taken 115 evacuees to Bratislava over the past two days.

“I am glad they are all OK. The transport was really demanding in the difficult environment,” Czech Defence Minister Jana Cernochova said about the Czech flight on X.

The defence ministry said most of them were Czech nationals.

“It was not possible to send the army plane straight to Israel,” the ministry said in a statement, citing the air space closure.

“The evacuees were taken to an airport in a neighbouring country by buses. They crossed the border on foot.”

Czech media said a convoy with the evacuees had left Tel Aviv on Monday morning and boarded the plane in Sharm El Sheikh in Egypt.

A Slovak government plane with 73 passengers — mostly Slovaks, but also Poles, Czechs, Austrians, Slovenians and others — landed in Bratislava on Monday before 1700 GMT, said Foreign Minister Juraj Blanar.

Another Slovak plane brought 42 passengers of multiple nationalities to Bratislava from Larnaca, Cyprus on Tuesday.

Both Prague and Bratislava are contemplating sending further planes to the Middle East in the coming days.

Israel began bombarding Iran on Friday, saying it aims to prevent its sworn enemy from acquiring a nuclear weapon — a goal Tehran denies pursuing.

The Israeli attacks have killed at least 224 people and wounded more than 1,000, according to an official toll released Sunday.

In retaliation, Iran has carried out multiple attacks that have killed at least 24 people in Israel since Friday, according to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office.