The ongoing war between the US, Israel and Iran since Saturday has increased fear in the Gulf countries of West Asia. The war is not limited to the US, Israel and Iran. Iran has continued to retaliate in all the countries where there are American military camps. But Iran is not only targeting American base camps in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, Oman and Iraq with missiles and drones. It has started attacking airports, residential buildings, hotels, ports and oil fields. 

As the war escalates, 1.9 million Nepalis working in the Gulf region alone are at direct risk of the war. Ranjit Kumar Yadav of Sarlahi was in the airport premises when the attack on Kuwait International Airport took place on Saturday. ‘Iran launched a drone attack on Terminal One, we were two minutes away, we were preparing to return after finishing our duty,’ Yadav told Kantipur over the phone, ‘There was a brief panic, some were injured.’ 

According to the Kuwaiti Ministry of Health, 32 migrant workers were injured at the airport. Yadav is off duty after the attack. There were about 35 Nepalis at the scene, including Yadav. ‘There was a great fear that another drone/missile would fall, and we were also afraid that we would be attacked. We got into the company vehicle and left,’ he said. ‘After that, there is no duty, we are staying in our rooms.’ He said that sirens are blaring from time to time in Kuwait. ‘There is no movement on the roads, it seems deserted, the company has asked us not to go out. There are also very few public buses,’ said Yadav, who has been working in Kuwait for four years.

Iran launched a drone attack on the Ras Tanura refinery owned by Saudi Arabia’s state-owned company Aramco on Monday. It is the largest oil refinery in the Middle East, located in the eastern part of Saudi Arabia. "We had reached the office side in the morning, and there were two drone attacks at 7 am and 7:10 am," Shyam Kumar Thakuri, who works at Ras Tanura, told Kantipur over the phone. "But nothing happened, everyone was safe."

About 1,000 Nepali workers work at this center alone, which has the capacity to process 550,000 barrels of oil per day. After the attack, the company has safely taken all the migrant workers, including Nepalis, to the camp. ‘After the attack, a fire broke out inside the plant and smoke spread. We were very scared for a moment. Since we work in a sensitive area, we were taught to stay in designated places without running in case of an emergency,’ he said. ‘We went to our groups and gathered at the designated place, and slowly we all came out one by one.’

They had said they would come back on vacation and get married, but when they arrived in the UAE, the company took them to the labor camp. ‘After that, we didn’t have to go on duty, we are now staying in our rooms,’ he said. ‘We have been told to stay in the camp until further notice.’ According to the Nepali Embassy in Riyadh, the Nepalis working in Ras Tanura are safe. ‘We are in touch with the workers,’ said Labor Consul Kabiraj Upreti, ‘All Nepalis are safe.’

Iran’s drone and missile attacks continue in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Sita Gaire, who works in the UAE, said that the company brought them from Abu Dhabi to Sharjah and kept them there. ‘There was an American base camp near our camp, now they have been transferred from there for security and kept them in Sharjah,’ she said, ‘I think the situation is getting more complicated. If the war is not stopped immediately, the situation will become even more difficult.’ Drone attacks in Qatar, where there is a significant presence of Nepali workers, have damaged missiles and a power generation center in Raslafan. According to Qatar’s Ministry of Defense, two drone attacks by Iran have damaged a power generation center and a drinking water tank. ‘Almost all the work sites here have been closed, the area is deserted, no one has come out,’ said Prem Prasad Bhattarai of Khotang, who is in Alkhor, Qatar, ‘We were not that scared until Sunday morning, but by Monday we were all worried.’

He said he had not left his room. ‘When missiles are coming, the Qatari government sends an alert on mobile phones, after the alert comes, there is a message telling people not to come out, but friends go out and make videos of the missiles,’ he said, ‘They have put themselves at risk.’ There are 1,500 Nepalis working in Lebanon. 31 people have been killed in Israeli airstrikes in Beirut and southern Lebanon, Lebanon. 149 people have been injured. Junkiri Ale Magar of Ramechhap, who has been working in Beirut for 15 years, said that a missile exploded in a building 10 minutes away from where she lives. ‘There were 10 explosions on Monday morning alone,’ she said, ‘the sound is so heart-wrenching, I have been restless for two days.’

Nepalis say that despite the increasing tension, rescue has not been necessary. ‘It doesn’t seem like the war has started, but we are terrified to see missiles in the sky for the first time in this place,’ said Padam Sundar Gurung, who works in Bahrain. ‘It is not yet time to rescue.’

He said that the situation is still uncertain. ‘There is no shortage of food and drinking water, all companies have kept their workers safely in the camps,’ he said, ‘It seems like the war is happening in the sky rather than on the ground, there is a possibility that fragments of the defunct missiles will fall in the sky and cause damage.’ The Iranian attacks are targeting airports. ‘I had bought a ticket on Saturday to go to Nepal for the elections, but now it seems like I will not be able to go,’ said Dhiren Subedi from Pokhara, who works in Kuwait, ‘There is no war as seen on social media. The only damage was caused where it fell, there is no panic.''

Workers who are preparing to return home after their employment contract expires are stranded. The embassy has stated that work is being done in coordination with employers to arrange for such workers. ''Employers have been requested to arrange accommodation and food for workers whose visas have expired and who have to return from the airport,'' Labor Consul Upreti said.

The Foreign Employment Board has also informed that it will provide funds to manage the stranded workers. Mahesh Kumar Basnet, General Secretary of the Foreign Employment Entrepreneurs Association, said that he has requested manpower entrepreneurs to continuously coordinate with employers regarding the safety of the workers they have sent. ‘Protecting the lives and safety of Nepali citizens is of utmost importance to us,’ he said. ‘We have requested that the manpower companies that have sent workers to the employers for whom they are working coordinate and collaborate with them to get regular information about the condition of the workers.’

Krishna Neupane, President of the National Network for Safe Migration, says that a plan for rapid rescue and relief should be made as soon as possible, keeping the safety of Nepali citizens in the Gulf region as a top priority. ‘The government should keep itself prepared with a rescue plan,’ he said. ‘Since Nepali citizens who are returning to Nepal are found stranded, a plan should be made for their safety and protection as soon as possible.’

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has stated that it is continuously monitoring the situation in the Gulf countries. ‘A committee has been formed under the leadership of the Foreign Secretary to prepare for the rescue of Nepalis in the Gulf region if necessary, and it includes representatives from the concerned ministries,’ said Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Lok Bahadur Poudel Chhetri. ‘So far, Nepali workers have not reached the Nepali embassy to be rescued. We are making necessary preparations, including enhancing the capacity of the foreign ministry, in case of a rescue situation.’