Over 700 foreigners flee Iran to Azerbaijan, Armenia

AFP | Baku, Azerbaijan

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More than 700 foreigners living in Iran have crossed into neighbouring Azerbaijan and Armenia since Israel began striking the country last week, government officials in Baku and Yerevan said Tuesday.

The Caucasus countries border Iran's northwest, with the closest crossing into Azerbaijan around 500 kilometres (310 miles) from Tehran by road.

"Since the start of the military escalation between Israel and Iran, more than 600 citizens of 17 countries have been evacuated from Iran via Azerbaijan," a government source told AFP on Tuesday.

The evacuees, who crossed the border via the Astara checkpoint on the Caspian Sea coast, are being transported to Baku airport and "flown to their home countries on international flights", the source said.

Among those evacuated are citizens of post-Soviet countries Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, along with others from Germany, Spain, Italy, Serbia, Romania, Portugal, the United States, the United Arab Emirates, China and Vietnam.

Israel has launched waves of strikes on Iran since Friday, saying it aims to prevent Tehran from acquiring a nuclear weapon -- a goal Iran denies pursuing.

The Israeli attacks have killed at least 224 people and wounded more than 1,000, according to an official toll released Sunday.

In retaliation, Iran has carried out attacks that have killed at least 24 people in Israel since Friday, according to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office.