Middle East conflict: West Java provincial government opens emergency hotline

Bandung (ANTARA) - The West Java Provincial Government has officially opened a dedicated complaint channel (hotline) to monitor and guarantee the safety of residents in the Middle East (Timteng) following armed conflict in the region.

“Governor cares about the safety of West Java residents in the Middle East. That is a serious concern,” said Adi Komar, Head of the West Java Department of Communications and Informatics (Diskominfo), at the Pakuan Building in Bandung, on Tuesday.

He explained that the response was an instruction directly from Governor Dedi Mulyadi, following air strikes on several cities in Iran and retaliatory actions against US military bases in Gulf countries, which led to widespread airspace closures.

He noted that residents of West Java who are in conflict areas or family members in Indonesia needing urgent information can contact the number 0821-2603-0038.

He added that the service is managed in collaboration by the Public Relations team and Diskominfo Jabar to map real conditions of residents on the ground.

Adi said the data on residents is continually updated given their wide dispersion, ranging from migrant workers to students to Umrah pilgrims who are stranded.

“Some have already conveyed their conditions to us and we are continuing to communicate with them gradually,” he said.

Reports via this number will be coordinated intensively with the central government to determine evacuation steps, given that exit from conflict zones is currently not easy due to much of the airspace being closed to commercial flights.

Earlier, combined operations between the US and Israel conducted large-scale strikes on Iran since Saturday morning local time, resulting in the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several Iranian military officers.

After striking US military bases in Saudi Arabia, Iran broadened its attack targets to other US facilities in the region.

Saudi Arabia’s government stated on Tuesday morning that the US Embassy in Riyadh was attacked by two drones, causing a limited fire and minor damage.

Several countries then urged their citizens to leave Saudi Arabia. However, evacuation is not easy because much of the airspace is closed, leaving many people stranded.