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View all search resultsHalf a million Indonesians in limbo as Middle East conflict escalates
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A plume of smoke ascends after a military strike on the capital Tehran on March 2, 2026. The Israeli military said it began a new “broad strike“ on Tehran on March 2, as AFP journalists reported hearing loud explosions in central and eastern parts of the Iranian capital. The United States and Israel launched strikes against Iran on February 28, killing Iran's supreme leader and top military leaders, prompting authorities to retaliate with strikes on Israel and across the Gulf. (AFP/Atta Kenare)
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t least half a million Indonesians are stranded in the Middle East with limited options to escape, Indonesia’s Foreign Ministry confirmed on Monday, as the United States-Israeli war against Iran spread out across the region on its third day.
After waves of US-Israeli air strikes on Saturday killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and 40 other top Iranian officials, Tehran retaliated with a barrage of missiles targeting Israeli territory and US military bases across the Gulf, raising fears of vast regional turmoil.
The war expanded on Monday with no end in sight, news agencies reported, as the air space over the Middle East remained closed and commercial flights were suspended.
Iran, Iraq, Israel, Syria, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates have all announced at least partial closures of their skies.
According to the Foreign Ministry’s interim director for citizen’s protection, Heni Hamidah, there are 519,042 Indonesian nationals recorded as resident in the region, based on data from diplomatic missions as of Feb. 28. The figure does not include travelers transiting through the Middle East.
Many are feeling the dread of the conflict.
Radya, a 41-year-old engineer based in Doha since 2021, said emergency alerts and intercepted missiles shattered any sense of the safety he once had.
