By Simon Lewis
WASHINGTON, March 12 (Reuters) - The Trump administration has organized nearly 50 flights to return U.S. citizens from the Middle East since the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran began, a State Department official said on Thursday, and officials said demand for the flights has declined.
The State Department was criticized in the days after the conflict began on February 28 for its late preparations to relocate diplomats and offer assistance to U.S. citizens as Iran's strikes led to airspace closures and flight cancellations across the region.
"By the end of today, we'll have completed approximately four dozen flights and safely evacuated thousands of Americans from the Middle East on those flights," said the official, who briefed reporters on condition of anonymity.
The department, which waived the cost of government-assisted flights, has declined to give detailed numbers for how many people benefited from them. The official said that, as of Thursday, a total of 47,000 U.S. citizens had returned from the region to the United States since February 28, mostly on commercial flights, and that the State Department had provided guidance or assistance to thousands of Americans.
"Through the department's Task Force, we have directly provided security guidance and travel assistance to about 32,000 impacted Americans," the official said. "Most Americans who have requested assistance have declined seats when offered, opting to remain in country or take commercial flight options, which offer greater flexibility in terms of destination and luggage," the official said.
The department said on Wednesday it would scale down charter flights and ground transport options because commercial flight availability is improving.
U.S. facilities in the region have continued to be hit by Iran. A drone struck a major diplomatic facility in Iraq on Tuesday, amid U.S. warnings that Iran-backed militias in the country may target Americans and U.S. interests.
(Reporting by Simon Lewis in Washington; Editing by Bill Berkrot)
