Israeli tourists rescued amid renewed fighting in Tigray, Ethiopia, FM says

After days trapped amid renewed fighting in Ethiopia’s Tigray region, 45 Israeli tourists were rescued in a coordinated operation involving military helicopters and overland escorts to safe areas.

A group of Israelis stranded in a combat zone in Tigray, Northern Ethiopia, were rescued according to a statement from the Foreign Ministry and the Israeli Embassy in Addis Ababa.

The Foreign Ministry said the rescue mission was delayed because of escalating security concerns in the region.

“The rescue was made possible following intensive activity by Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, the Foreign Ministry and the Israeli Embassy in Addis Ababa, who worked in continuous coordination with the relevant parties in Ethiopia,” the statement read.

“Helicopters transported the group to a safe area, from where they will continue to Addis Ababa,” the ministry added.

The Foreign Ministry thanked the Ethiopian authorities for their “commitment to the efforts,” as well as the other parties who helped carry out the rescue operation. It stressed that it would continue to accompany and assist the Israelis until they arrived safely in Addis Ababa.

Tigrayan separatist forces disrupt civil services across the region

45 Israeli tourists were split up into two separate groups. One group, numbering about 20 Israelis, reached a safe city overland, accompanied and secured by the Ethiopian military and in coordination with Israeli authorities. The second group, comprising about 25 Israelis and including elderly travelers, was rescued in a helicopter evacuation operation.

In recent days, fighting has renewed between the Ethiopian military and forces from the Tigray region, having already spilled over into the neighboring Afar and Amhara regions.

Tigrayan forces have taken control of airports, civilian flights were canceled, communications networks were cut off, and in certain areas the use of drones was reported.

Also, seven armed groups from across the country have united against the government of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, while Addis Ababa accuses neighboring Eritrea of aiding its opponents.

The current flare-up is the most severe since the Tigray war ended in 2022. That war began in November 2020 between the federal government and the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), which dominated Ethiopia's political system for years before Abiy Ahmed rose to power.

The war was accompanied by famine, mass displacement, massacres, and grave human rights violations, and concluded in November 2022 with a peace agreement signed in Pretoria, South Africa.