Members of Tigrayan forces patrol the streets as tensions intensify after the forces launched a major offensive against the federal government in multiple locations, in Mekele, Tigray Region, Ethiopia, September 23, 2026, in this screen grab taken from a video. Obtained by REUTERS REFILE
A group of 20 Israeli citizens stranded in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region were safely rescued Wednesday following a three-day operation to evacuate them, as fighting between rebel and government forces intensified across the area.
In coordination with the Israeli Embassy in Addis Ababa and local authorities, the Israeli Foreign Ministry confirmed that the remaining Israelis stranded in the city of Lalibela had been safely evacuated by helicopter over the past two days.
The group is expected to reach Addis Ababa, Ethiopia’s capital, with Israeli representatives accompanying them along the way and assisting with their safe arrival before helping coordinate their return home.
The group of about 45 Israelis became stranded in Lalibela after heavy clashes erupted last week between the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) and Ethiopia’s federal government, leaving airports closed and road travel too dangerous for them to leave the area.
Evacuation efforts were carried out in two stages, with the first group of about 20 Israelis reaching a safe location overland under Ethiopian military protection in coordination with Israeli authorities.
According to local media reports, the stranded Israelis contacted Israeli authorities for assistance after being told that “flights have been canceled indefinitely,” warning that the city was facing “extremely limited” supplies of fuel, food and cash.
The renewed offensive has taken a heavy toll on civilians, with dozens reportedly killed, including children, as Ethiopian government forces launch airstrikes on towns across Tigray while advancing north toward the rebel-held regional capital.
These latest clashes have sparked fears of a return to the devastating conflict that engulfed Tigray from 2020 to 2022, when an estimated 600,000 people were killed amid famine, mass displacement, massacres and grave human rights violations.
The conflict began in 2020 when a political dispute over federal authority and Tigray’s autonomy escalated into a war between Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government and the TPLF, with the two sides reaching a peace deal in Pretoria in 2022.
However, the ceasefire agreement was never fully implemented, and tensions have continued to mount in Tigray.
Since late 2025, the Ethiopian government has carried out multiple drone strikes in the region and deployed troops nearby, while the TPLF removed a government-appointed administration, further escalating the standoff.
Ethiopia’s security situation further deteriorated last week after the TPLF seized several airports from federal police and launched attacks into the neighboring Amhara and Afar regions, reportedly fighting alongside local militias.
Now, pro-government forces say they have seized the strategic town of Alamata in southern Tigray, marking another significant development on the battlefield as fighting continues across the region.
So far, there is no reliable estimate of the civilian death toll, with reporting severely constrained by the fighting and widespread disruptions to telecommunications.
Source: The Algemeiner
