ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - British energy company BP has evacuated several foreign employees from the Rumaila South oil field in southern Iraq, a security source told The New Region on Sunday.

The source told The New Region that the evacuated staff included British and other foreign nationals. Their responsibilities have been temporarily shifted to remote work, in coordination with local authorities.

The move comes as a precaution amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran and the recent US involvement that saw B2 stealth bombers undertake an operation targeting Iranian nuclear sites on Saturday.

The source said the evacuation was likely carried out through the Safwan border crossing into Kuwait.

Basra Oil Company (BOC), the Iraqi national company responsible for the country's southern oil fields, said in a statement relating to the matter that production at the Rumaila South field remains uninterrupted, noting that "Iraqi personnel are fully responsible for operations and monitoring" at the site.

Another informed source also confirmed to The New Region that the evacuation has not affected production at the oil field, saying that the "Iraqi workers have strong experience that allows them to manage the operations efficiently... This has helped keep the workflow smooth and without any disruption."

The BOC statement further noted that the Italian ENI energy giant has "gradually reduced its workforce from 260 to 98 employees" in the area, while the French Total company has evacuated 60% of its personnel from its sector as a precautionary measure.

The Chinese oil companies and Russian Lukoil have not evacuated foreign nationals as of yet, the statement confirmed. 

Located 50km west of Basra and spanning an area of 1,600 square kilometers, the Rumaila oil field is the largest producing field in Iraq. According to the Rumaila Operating Organization's website, the field produces a third of Iraq's oil supply and contains approximately "17 billion barrels of recoverable oil are still contained within [its] reservoirs."