Total blockade: Citizens are forbidden to leave the country

According to the Haaretz newspaper, the government has ordered domestic airlines not to allow Israeli citizens to board outbound flights, as fears of potential Iranian retaliatory attacks on Israeli airports are growing. At the same time, the main Ben Gurion International Airport remains closed.

Israeli Transport Minister Miri Regev announced the measure, stating that the state will not approve the departure of Israelis abroad at this stage, according to the Middle East Monitor portal.

She explained that only non-Israeli citizens, such as diplomats and tourists, are allowed to leave the country.

She also confirmed that the Israeli government is preparing an operation to repatriate more than 100,000 Israeli citizens who are currently abroad and added that the process will be carried out "in a phased and planned manner".

The travel restrictions follow Israel's unprecedented attack on Iran's Mashhad airport, and while Iran has yet to retaliate against Israel's aviation infrastructure, the Israeli strike has raised fears that the airports could now be considered legitimate targets, it said.

• "We will show no mercy!

• A nuclear bomb? "Maybe..."

• "The battle begins"; Destroyed machines enriching uranium for nuclear weapons; Retaliation followed PHOTO/VIDEO

The Times of Israel reports, on the other hand, that 2,800 people returned to the country.

It is also reported that between 100,000 and 150,000 Israelis remain abroad due to airstrikes between Israel and Iran.

"Our goal is to return as many people as possible," the executive director of the Israel Airports Authority, Sharon Kedmi, told Military Radio, adding that new security assessments are made every hour.