Fifteen South Koreans and one foreign family member departed Israel on a Japanese military airplane on Thursday.

Seoul’s foreign ministry said on Friday that the Japanese military transport aircraft carrying the 16 people left Tel Aviv at 4:47 p.m. Thursday and is on the way to Japan, bringing the number of remaining South Koreans in Israel to about 420.

The South Korean Embassy in Japan plans to provide necessary consular assistance for the 16 to enter South Korea.

This is the second Japanese flight that has supported the evacuation of South Koreans from the war-torn region after 18 nationals and one foreign family member arrived in Tokyo on October 21 after leaving Israel with 60 Japanese citizens and four foreign family members.

The assistance from Tokyo was seen as a reciprocal move to Seoul's earlier gesture when it flew home a group of 51 Japanese citizens and their families from the country in conflict.