A group of 11 Bulgarian citizens who requested evacuation have safely departed from Jordan, Foreign Minister Georg Georgiev confirmed on Monday morning. Among those evacuated are eight participants in the Erasmus academic exchange program and three accompanying family members. Their departure from Amman comes as part of broader efforts by the Bulgarian government to assist nationals stranded in conflict-affected regions in the Middle East.

Georgiev stressed that Bulgaria is prepared to evacuate its citizens from both Israel and Iran, but emphasized that such operations are becoming increasingly difficult. “Our top priority remains the safe evacuation of our compatriots from countries hit by the escalating conflict. We do have people in Israel who are requesting evacuation. These are not isolated to one city, not only Tel Aviv, and a few are also in Iran. The number of Bulgarians there is small,” the minister said.

According to him, the current security situation makes air evacuation from Israel impossible. “When missiles are flying through the skies, it's clear to anyone that planes cannot land. Israel’s airspace remains closed, and Jordan’s is only open intermittently, with limited safe windows for operation. The only viable route at this moment is evacuation by land, to areas that are not entirely safe but pose lower risk,” Georgiev noted. He added that although these windows of calm are brief, Bulgaria will use every opportunity to ensure safe passage for its citizens.

The Foreign Minister's statements come after another tense night for Bulgarian nationals in Israel. Daniela Chopanova, a representative of the Bulgarian Center in Tel Aviv, spoke on the Bulgarian National Television about the atmosphere on the ground. She described the attacks as expected but still intense. “There were several waves yesterday - in the afternoon, later in the evening around 8:30–9:00 p.m., and again at 4:00 a.m. This time there were direct hits on residential buildings in central Tel Aviv. Over 50 people were injured, around 90 suffered minor injuries. That’s just in Tel Aviv,” she reported.

Chopanova highlighted that the main concern among the Bulgarian community is for their children’s safety. She said people receive warnings about upcoming attacks around 20–30 minutes in advance, giving them time to reach nearby shelters. “Everywhere here, there are shelters - public and private. When the sirens go off, you have a couple of minutes to reach a secure place,” she explained.

Residents are also instructed not to post footage or images of missile impacts on social media, in order to avoid providing intelligence to Iran. Despite the situation, many continue working - some from home, others in offices equipped with bomb shelters.

Chopanova emphasized that there are still Bulgarian citizens in Israel who want to leave, and she confirmed that the embassy is actively preparing evacuation lists. However, she warned that the only feasible exit remains by land, since the country’s airspace is shut. “Even if the Bulgarian embassy wants to act, unless the skies open, it’s not possible to evacuate by plane. If that changes, I would ask the minister - is Bulgaria ready to send aircraft to get these people out?”