By Joyce Ann L. Rocamora
MANILA – The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Friday it is monitoring the developments in Iran, where more than 1,000 Filipinos are residing, after Israel launched a military strike on Tehran, eliciting fears of retaliation and wider regional conflict.
Pending a final embassy report, DFA Undersecretary Eduardo Jose De Vega said Filipino authorities are currently discussing measures to take, including the possibility of new advisories in both states.
“We are discussing it and awaiting the update from our embassy in Tehran,” he said in a text message.
In a separate interview at PTV’s Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon, De Vega said Filipinos affected may reach out to the Philippine embassies in Tehran and Tel Aviv for assistance.
“Matitiyak ng ating mga Pilipino na ‘yong ating mga tanggapan will assist them. Complicated lang sa Iran dahil baka hindi sila payagang makalabas ng kanilang mga asawa dahil mga Iranian citizens na sila (They can rest assured that our foreign service posts will assist them. It’s just a bit complicated in the case of Filipinos who are already Iranian citizens in Iran),” he said.
Based on the latest DFA data, there are 30,742 Filipinos in Israel and at least 1,180 in Iran, most of whom are married to Iranian nationals.
Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday confirmed that Israel launched “Operation Rising Lion,” a targeted military operation he said was aimed to “roll back the Iranian threat to Israel’s very survival.”
Israel earlier accused Iran of producing thousands of kilograms of enriched uranium to advance its nuclear weapon program.
Netanyahu warned that the Israeli military strike would “continue for as many days as it takes” to remove threats on Israel.
On Friday afternoon, the Israel Defense Forces confirmed that the chief of staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, and the commander of Iran’s Emergency Command were “all eliminated” in the Israeli strikes. (PNA)
