Around 60 foreign nationals have been evacuated from Iran to Azerbaijan in the past 24 hours via the Astara border checkpoint.

Between March 1 and 10:00 a.m. on Monday, roughly 40 Russian citizens, 20 Pakistani citizens, and two Tajik citizens crossed into Azerbaijan. Another large group of Russian nationals is expected to arrive shortly, The Caspian Post reports, citing local media.

The evacuation comes amid escalating tensions in the Middle East. On February 28, the United States and Israel launched a military operation against Iran, carrying out airstrikes on several cities. In response, Iran fired missiles at Israel and attacked US military bases in the Persian Gulf region.

Due to the heightened security situation, several countries in the region have temporarily closed their airspace.