Foreigners flee Lebanon on flights and ferries as Israeli offensive intensifies
As many airlines end flights to region, dozens of nations are putting contingency plans into action to evacuate citizens; several countries send military aircraft
Foreign nationals from Europe, Asia and the Middle East fled Lebanon on Thursday as Israel’s ground offensive intensified and it stepped up strikes on Hezbollah sites, including in capital Beirut, and governments worldwide urged their citizens to get out.
Some countries provided air evacuations, while elsewhere hundreds of people boarded crowded ferries or smaller vessels. Israel, meanwhile, on Thursday urged residents to evacuate more than 20 towns in southern Lebanon.
Dozens of Greeks and Greek Cypriots boarded a Greek military aircraft at Beirut airport, many of them children clutching soft toys and school bags. In the cramped conditions onboard, some played with glow sticks, while others slept on their parents’ laps as the plane left behind the smoking city below.
The plane dropped off 38 Cypriots at Larnaca airport in Cyprus, about 200 kilometers (124 miles) west of Lebanon, and continued on to Athens, where 22 Greek nationals disembarked.
Those onboard, like many fleeing by other means, spoke of the growing chaos and terror caused by the strikes this week that have killed much of Hezbollah’s senior leadership.
“We were trapped, there was no other way to leave because Middle East airplanes are full and the earliest flight you can get is in 10 days,” Giorgos Seib told Reuters on the runway at Larnaca airport after landing.
“Every day the situation gets worse and we don’t know what will happen tomorrow.”
Nearly 2,000 people have been killed since the start of the Israeli attacks on Lebanon in recent weeks, including 127 children, Lebanon’s health minister Firass Abiad said on Thursday. The figures do not differentiate between civilians and Hezbollah fighters.
Since October 8, Hezbollah-led forces have attacked Israeli communities and military posts along the border on a near-daily basis, with the group saying it is doing so to support Gaza amid the war there.
Israel has vowed to push Hezbollah away from the border so that tens of thousands of evacuated Israelis can safely return to their homes.
Expatriates have been scrambling to leave and governments from China to Europe have drawn up plans to get their citizens out.
Russia organized a special flight for the family members of Russian diplomats on Thursday. Australia has organized hundreds of airline seats for its citizens to leave.
A Spanish military plane carrying 204 evacuees landed at the Torrejon air base near Madrid on Thursday. Another plane carrying 40 more was expected to arrive later. Defense Minister Margarita Robles has said Spain might send more planes to keep running the evacuation process, possibly including citizens from other countries.
At Turkey’s southern Tasucu port in Mersin, Gretchen, an American citizen who lived in Beirut for five years, said she arrived on an ordinary commercial ferry because flights in Beirut were canceled over the last few days.
“We are continuously hearing artillery and shelling and it was just too much,” she said after disembarking. “I just wanted to leave immediately.”
Lebanese nationals were also on the boat. Many who got off in Tasucu said they would transit in Turkey en route to another country. Some said they have a second citizenship elsewhere.
Sami Al King, a Lebanese man who lives in Ghana, took the ferry as all flights out of Lebanon were booked and he still needed to book buses and planes to make his way to Africa.
“All our families are extended throughout Lebanon. So yes, you are worried you are leaving your loved ones,” said King.
Many hope to return to Lebanon, where they have built their lives. Others are too traumatized to say yet.
Gigi Khalifa, a Libyan Cypriot, moved to Lebanon four years ago so her two children could learn Arabic.
“The bombing was very close, it was very traumatic,” she said, her voice breaking in the arrivals hall of Larnaca airport.
“I just feel bad, you know? For all those people left behind. My friends, my kids’ friends. I don’t know if we will ever see them again.”
Western nations have drafted contingency plans to evacuate citizens from Lebanon after a dramatic escalation in the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, coupled with Iran’s missile attack on Israel on Tuesday.
No country has launched a large-scale military evacuation yet, though some are chartering aircraft as Beirut airport stays open.
Here are details on contingency planning:
Australia: It has organized hundreds of airline seats for its citizens to leave Lebanon, and has flown military aircraft to Cyprus as part of a contingency plan. Its contingency plans could include evacuation by sea, though authorities have urged an estimated 15,000 citizens in Lebanon to leave while Beirut airport remains open.
Belgium: Its foreign ministry has advised citizens to leave as soon as possible, the Belga news agency said.
China: More than 200 Chinese citizens have been safely evacuated by the government, China’s official Xinhua news agency said.
Canada: News reports from Canada suggest it will co-operate with Australia in evacuating nationals by sea. The plan involves contracting a commercial vessel to ferry out 1,000 people a day, the Toronto Star newspaper said.
Cyprus: Cyprus has asked Greece to provide an aircraft to help evacuate its nationals who wish to leave. There are an estimated 1,000-1,500 Cypriots in Lebanon, though the number wishing to leave is estimated at far lower.
Denmark: Denmark’s foreign ministry urged Danish citizens to leave Lebanon as soon as possible but said it had not initiated an evacuation as there were still commercial flights out of Lebanon.
The Lebanese airline Middle East Airlines will deploy extra flights from Beirut to destinations in Europe to meet the demand for commercial travel out of the country, the Danish foreign ministry said in a statement.
France: Paris has not issued an evacuation order, despite having had plans for several months. Present contingency plans center on Cyprus and Beirut airport, while it is also discussing evacuations via Turkey. France has a warship in the region, while a French helicopter carrier will arrive in the eastern Mediterranean in the coming days and take up position in case a decision is taken to evacuate foreign nationals from Lebanon.
Germany: Germany has evacuated non-essential staff, families of embassy workers and German nationals who are medically vulnerable from Lebanon and will support others trying to leave, the foreign and defense ministries said in a joint statement on Monday.
Greece: The Greek foreign ministry has urged its citizens to leave Lebanon and avoid any travel there, with a frigate on standby in case assistance is needed.
Italy: Italy has cut diplomatic staff and beefed up security personnel at its Beirut embassy. Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani has repeatedly urged nationals to leave the country and sought assurances from Israel over the safety of Italian peacekeepers in the area.
The Netherlands: The Netherlands will send a military plane to repatriate nationals from Lebanon with two flights on Oct 4 and 5, the Dutch Ministry of Defense said on Wednesday. The flights to the military airbase in Eindhoven will also be available for people from other countries if there is enough room to accommodate them, it said.
Poland: Poland will limit staff numbers at its Beirut embassy, a foreign ministry spokesperson said on Tuesday, adding that Warsaw would organize transport for citizens wanting to leave Lebanon.
Portugal: Prime Minister Luis Montenegro has advised against travel to Lebanon, and assisted in the evacuation of a small number of Portuguese citizens living there.
Romania: Romania evacuated 69 citizens from Lebanon in a military aircraft on Thursday, its foreign and defense ministries said. Earlier this week, the foreign ministry said more than 1,100 Romanian citizens and family members had registered their presence in Lebanon at the embassy.
Spain: Spain plans to send two military aircraft to evacuate as many as 350 citizens from Lebanon as early as Thursday.
Turkey: Turkey is ready for a possible evacuation of Turks from Lebanon via air and sea, and is working with about 20 countries for a possible evacuation of foreign nationals via Turkey. About 14,000 Turkish citizens were registered at the consulate in Lebanon, but the number was not definitive.
United Kingdom: Britain has urged nationals to leave immediately. It has moved about 700 troops to Cyprus, bolstering its military assets, including two Royal Navy ships. It also has two military bases on the island. Britain chartered a flight on Wednesday for its nationals, and additional charter flights are to follow, diplomatic sources said.
United States: The United States has ordered dozens of troops deployed to Cyprus to help prepare for scenarios such as an evacuation of Americans from Lebanon. It is working with airlines to add flights out of Lebanon, with more seats for Americans, the State Department said on Tuesday.