Governments around the world are rushing to organize the return of their citizens from the Middle East on Wednesday and air traffic seems to be picking up slightly as travel across the region remains heavily disrupted by the widening Iran war.

Iran's capital Tehran was repeatedly shaken by explosions through the day, as Israel struck the state broadcaster IRIB and an area around the city's Mehrabad airport. The Israeli military also said it hit the Minzadehei underground nuclear development site in Tehran.

By Julie Zhu HONG KONG, March 5 (Reuters) - Airline shares rebounded on Thursday as more flights took off from the Middle East, providing some reprieve for carriers after U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran wiped billions of dollars off their market value earlier in the week.

Cruise passengers are stuck in the Middle East as the broader conflict escalates, with thousands trapped aboard ships unable to disembark while airlines cancel flights.

As the effects of the U.S. and Israel's war with Iran spread across the Middle East, major Western countries are scrambling to make arrangements for getting their citizens out of the region.

The war with Iran continues to cause aviation chaos in the Middle East and beyond, with planes remaining grounded in one of the world’s busiest travel regions.

But as the war widens in the region with President Donald Trump signaling no clear end in sight, questions about how much Gulf allies can take are growing.