Kathmandu, Feb 28: After the United States and Israel launched a sudden attack on Iran early Saturday morning, fears have grown that the conflict could spread across the Middle East, especially the Gulf countries. If the war expands across the region, around 1.7 million Nepali migrant workers employed there could be directly affected.
Soon after the US and Israeli strikes, Iran began retaliatory attacks. According to international media reports, Iran launched missile strikes not only at Israel but also at US military bases located in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, and Kuwait.
International media have reported loud explosions in Abu Dhabi and Dubai in the UAE, Doha in Qatar, and Riyadh in Saudi Arabia, among other locations.
As the risk of the conflict spreading across the Middle East increased following Iran’s counterattacks, Nepal’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a travel advisory on Saturday. In the advisory, the ministry urged Nepali nationals in Israel and Iran to remain indoors.
The ministry stated that it is closely monitoring the evolving situation in the Middle East. “Nepali citizens residing and working in Middle Eastern countries are advised to follow instructions issued by the concerned authorities of the respective countries, continuously monitor developments, and take necessary precautions,” the ministry said in the travel advisory.
If the war between the United States, Israel, and Iran expands across the Middle East, a large number of Nepali workers are likely to be directly impacted.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a total of 1,687,008 Nepali workers are currently employed in Middle Eastern countries.
Ministry data show that about 700,000 Nepalis are working in the United Arab Emirates, 384,000 in Saudi Arabia, 357,000 in Qatar, 185,000 in Kuwait, 25,000 in Oman, 28,000 in Bahrain, 8,000 in Israel, and 8 in Iran.
People’s News Monitoring Service
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