WASHINGTON, March 6 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. State Department said Friday that nearly 24,000 U.S. citizens have returned to the United States from the Middle East since the U.S.-Israel military strikes launched against Iran on Feb. 28.
The figures do not include the many U.S. citizens who have relocated to other countries or those who have departed the Middle East but are still in transit back to the United States, the department said in a statement.
Several flights have returned hundreds of U.S. citizens to the United States, with additional flights scheduled to take place over the coming days, as security conditions allow, said the statement.
Most of the 24,000 U.S. citizens were able to return on their own using commercial transportation, according to media reports.
The Trump administration has been criticized for not arranging timely evacuations for U.S. citizens amid the escalating conflict.
On social media, many stranded U.S. citizens said they encountered closed airports, canceled flights and what they called troubling or unclear guidance from the U.S. government as they tried to find ways to leave the region. ■
