Cecilia Lei
👤 SpeakerAppearances Over Time
Podcast Appearances
When reporters asked Trump on Tuesday why an evacuation plan wasn't ready, he said this.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio urged people to register on the State Department website for updates and insisted the government was in fact working on a plan to help people out.
Meanwhile, social media has been filled with stories of wealthy influencers spending big sums to get out of the Gulf.
Somofor reports that the Saudi capital, Riyadh, has become the premier exit route for the super-rich.
One private jet brokerage quoted tickets to Europe costing $350,000.
But as Bloomberg reports, the reality for most people is to either stay put or attempt a long, expensive journey home.
They spoke to traveler Callie, who was about to board her flight when projectiles started flying.
She and another traveler got lucky, but at a price.
They paid out $1,000 for a six-hour ride to Riyadh and then bought a ticket to London for $2,000.
At the same time, large numbers of people caught up in the U.S.-Israeli strikes are also fleeing in search of safety.
The UN Refugee Agency says the intensifying violence has already triggered significant movement in populations.
In the first two days of the strikes, an estimated 100,000 people have left Tehran, and tens of thousands of displaced people in Lebanon are in shelters, according to the agency.
The European Union Agency for Asylum echoed the UN's concerns, warning that the ongoing conflict in Iran could lead to refugee movements of a quote, unprecedented magnitude.
How the U.S.
and Israel fight Iran in the coming days will in part be shaped by the dynamics between two leaders.
That's Prime Minister Netanyahu speaking shortly after the initial attacks.
His close partnership with Trump has played a vital role in the planning of the past week.
Axios reports that Netanyahu tipped off that Iran's supreme leader and a host of other top officials would be meeting in the same place at the same time.
That call, according to Axios, was pivotal.
It helped persuade Trump to seize the moment and strike.