Bulgaria Evacuates 2,600 Nationals from Middle East

Jerusalem, 8 March, 2026 (TPS-IL) -- Sofia (BTA) – About 2,600 Bulgarian nationals have been evacuated from over 11 Middle East countries where there are military operations, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Velizar Shalamanov said.

Priority is being given to Bulgarian citizens where missiles and drones are falling, Shalamanov commented on the air of Nova TV.

According to the Deputy Minister, the evacuations are being followed in coordination with the Crisis Headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) to give priority to humanitarian cases. In parallel, airlines, without direct coordination with Bulgaria, are taking Bulgarians out, said Shalamanov.

There is only one state flight on the government plane to Abu Dhabi, all other flights are by airlines, said Shalamanov.

He commented that the case of the explosion at the US embassy in Oslo will be assessed in more detail. “Threats from missiles and drones from Iran to Bulgaria practically do not exist, we are fully covered by the NATO anti-missile shield,” Shalamanov said.

He added that after war broke out on Feb. 28, security was strengthened at Bulgarian sites related to Israel and the US, as well as at hotels where citizens from these two countries are staying.

Shalamanov identified informational and psychological attacks as the most worrying, which, in his opinion, can undermine trust in institutions.

Shalamanov also said that cyber threats are a serious risk in the current situation, but assured that measures are being taken. He said that the MFA website is not affected, but there is an overload and slowdown of the page that serves to register citizens for evacuation.