Israel is repatriating tens of thousands of its citizens stranded abroad after a flare-up in fighting with Iran, deploying emergency airlifts and ferries.

Authorities are rationing flights as a precaution, wary that aircraft could be threatened by incoming missile barrages.

The first planeload landed Wednesday at Ben Gurion Airport, Israel’s main international gateway, bringing Israelis from Cyprus, where many had travelled from other locations to find an opportunity to return home. Two cruise ships are also under contract to bring people from the island, Transport Minister Miri Regev said.

Israel says as many as 150 000 of its citizens were travelling abroad when it launched a surprise assault on Iranian nuclear and military targets on Friday, triggering an unprecedented exchange of fire.

The rescue mission could take weeks at the current rate of return — 2 500 people a day by air, and around the same number by sea. When the tickets were offered online on Tuesday, they were grabbed within minutes, Israeli media outlets said.

“There’s no reason to get stressed,” Regev said in a news conference, her remarks addressed to Israelis unable to return home. “You’re abroad. Have a good time. I know this is no simple matter.”

Israel dispatched much of its civilian airline fleet abroad after fighting began, recalling some aircraft only after aviation risks had eased enough to permit a limited return to daytime operations.

But Ben Gurion, outside Tel Aviv, and a smaller airport in the northern city of Haifa that is also partly operating, are still seen as potential targets for Iran.

To discourage crowding, Israelis are banned from departing by air, with possible exceptions for medical or family emergencies, Regev said.

Overland travel through neighbouring Jordan or Egypt is possible, though Israel has issued a terrorism advisory against using those routes.

Some private yacht owners have been offering to take Israelis to or from Cyprus, a 30-hour trip usually priced at around $1 000.