Israel's Minister of Transport, Miri Regef, announced on June 16 that the Israeli government has launched an operation called “Safe Return” aimed at retrieving Israeli citizens stranded overseas due to the closure of Israeli airspace. “We will carry out this work in a phased, planned and coordinated manner with the Ministry of Defense and civil aviation professionals,” she said. Regef stressed at the press conference: “At this stage, we will not allow Israelis to leave the country to go overseas. Currently, people leaving the country are limited to foreigners visiting Israel — such as diplomats, tourists, etc.” She also said to the Israelis who are stranded overseas: “There is no need to worry — you are abroad now, enjoy yourself. I know it's not easy. We will sit down with the Minister of Finance to discuss how to deal with this issue. I ask everyone to be patient.” According to previous reports, the government has instructed Israel Airlines not to take passengers out of the country when carrying out rescue flights to pick up its own citizens.

Israel's Minister of Transport, Miri Regef, announced on June 16 that the Israeli government has launched an operation called “Safe Return” aimed at retrieving Israeli citizens stranded overseas due to the closure of Israeli airspace. “We will carry out this work in a phased, planned and coordinated manner with the Ministry of Defense and civil aviation professionals,” she said. Regef stressed at the press conference: “At this stage, we will not allow Israelis to leave the country to go overseas. Currently, people leaving the country are limited to foreigners visiting Israel — such as diplomats, tourists, etc.” She also said to the Israelis who are stranded overseas: “There is no need to worry — you are abroad now, enjoy yourself. I know it's not easy. We will sit down with the Minister of Finance to discuss how to deal with this issue. I ask everyone to be patient.” According to previous reports, the government has instructed Israel Airlines not to take passengers out of the country when carrying out rescue flights to pick up its own citizens.