Israelis continue to make their way back home on Thursday, with 21 outbound flights scheduled for the day, as well as private vessels sailing out of Larnaca’s marina and a cruise ship out of Limassol port, all under tight security.

The Crown Iris docked at Limassol port on Thursday to pick up around 1,600 Israelis in Cyprus who wish to return to their country.

Passengers, who began boarding at 9.30am and will sail to Haifa, said they wished to reunite with their families.

The Crown Iris sailed out of Larnaca on Wednesday and remained anchored off Limassol overnight, before docking at the DP World Limassol passenger terminal in the morning.

The passengers arrived in private cars, taxis or buses at the port, which is heavily guarded by the police.

One of the passengers said he had been in Cyprus for ten days on business. “I am not afraid, I just want to be with my family. To be honest, if I had my family with me I would stay in Cyprus until the war ends,” he said.

Another passenger said she was quite afraid. “We are returning because our family is there and we have already run out of money. We were in London for my daughter’s birthday and we had to stay there another three days, which cost us quite a bit.”

A passenger who was on holiday in Rhodes said she had to fly to Athens and take another flight to Larnaca and from there board a taxi for Limassol.

“We had no other way to return to our families and friends,” she said.

A tourist in Cyprus said he was not afraid of going back. “You have a beautiful country for holidays, but we must return home.”

The Crown Iris, which can carry up to 2,000 passengers, is participating in the ‘Safe Return’ Israeli operation. It is expected to carry out one more trip during the week and one or two next week. It may also be replaced with a cruise ship of a larger capacity.

According to the Cyprus News Agency, the Crown Iris sailed out of Haifa on Tuesday and docked on Wednesday at Larnaca port, transporting about 1,500 foreign nationals out of the war-torn area. It then travelled onto Limassol port where it picked up the Israelis wanting to return home on Thursday.

Meanwhile, The Times of Israel reported on its website that an El Al flight from Cyprus bringing home Israelis was forced to pull away from its planned landing at Ben Gurion Airport earlier on Thursday morning amid the Iranian missile barrage.

“The flight circled in the air for some 30 minutes until authorities confirmed it was safe to land, then touched down without incident,” it added.

Hermes Airports sources said there would be eight flights to Haifa and five to Tel Aviv in Israel, as well as eight to neighbouring Aqaba, Jordan, all carrying Israelis who wish to return home.

A total of 2,500 will be returning to Israel on Thursday’s carriers.

On Wednesday, 13 flights – nine to Haifa, four to Tel Aviv – were carried out, taking over a thousand Israelis back.

These are people who were either on holiday or business trips abroad and wish to repatriate.

Cyprus News Agency sources said that from Sunday to Wednesday, over a hundred vessels sailed out of Larnaca’s marina with about 460 people on board going home and brought back about the same number of people wishing to leave the warzone.

Police measures are heightened at all departure points and areas where Israelis gather, such as hotels, Jewish businesses and synagogues. Armed police officers are posted at Larnaca’s airport and marina.

On Wednesday, Israelis flying back and other nationalities leaving the area said they had never seen such an explosive situation.

Tourists visiting Israel said the situation during the day was alright, however they had to head to shelters once the exchange of missiles resumed.

Israelis waiting for flights home said they wanted to go back, despite the situation, so that they could be with their families.

On Wednesday, 13 Air Haifa and El-Al flights departed from Larnaca for Israel. Hermes Airports sources said nine flights were destined for Haifa and four Tel Aviv.

Transportation Minister Miri Regev said the number of Israelis stranded abroad was between 100,000 and 150,000.

After flights were postponed last week, El-Al announced that it was preparing rescue flights from Larnaca, Athens, Rome, Milano and Paris, starting on Wednesday.

Israeli budget airline Arkia also announced special flights for this week.

The return of the Israelis is being carried out in stages, depending on safety assessments, with emphasis on the safety of passengers, crews and aircraft.

Due to the situation in Israel, the public was urged not to go to the airports to welcome the passengers or send taxis for them.

The Crown Iris at Limassol port