Iliana Yotova Assesses Security Risks in the Middle East: No Direct Risks for Bulgaria

President Iliana Yotova held a meeting to assess the risks to Bulgaria's national security and the measures taken in connection with the conflict in the Middle East. There are no direct risks to Bulgaria's security and all necessary measures have been taken to ensure the safety of Bulgarian citizens - this is the main conclusion.

The meeting was attended by the caretaker Minister of Defense Atanas Zapryanov, the Chief of Defense Admiral Emil Eftimov, the Chairman of the State Intelligence Agency "Razuznavane" Antoine Gechev, the Director of the Military Intelligence Service Brigadier General Venelin Venev and the acting Chairman of the State Agency "National Security" Denyo Denev.

The head of state was acquainted with the reports of the security services, as well as the Ministry of Defense. The focus of the conversation was the evacuation of Bulgarian citizens from the countries affected by the conflict. Such an evacuation will be carried out at the first opportunity.

The participants in the meeting also commented on the consequences of the conflict in political, economic and humanitarian terms, as well as possible measures to overcome them.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) urged all Bulgarian citizens in Israel, Iran, UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Jordan and Lebanon to stay in protected places and follow the instructions of the local authorities.

The Ministry of Tourism announced that 1092 Bulgarian tourists are in the countries of the Middle East.

On Saturday, the US and Israel launched a large-scale attack on Iran, and US President Donald Trump urged the Iranian public to "take control of their own destiny." During a strike during the joint Israeli-American attacks, the supreme leader of Iran - Ayatollah Ali Khamenei - died.