Spain to evacuate citizens from Lebanon, South Korea to repatriate those in Israel

Spain and South Korea are the latest countries to say they will be evacuating their citizens from Lebanon amid escalating cross-border violence and an Israeli ground incursion, with Seoul also saying it is working to bring those in Israel home.

Spain plans to send two military aircraft to evacuate as many as 350 citizens from Lebanon as early as tomorrow, Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles says.

“The Spanish airplanes are ready, the staff are ready, as always with the professionalism of the Spanish army,” she says in an interview with Antena 3 TV station.

A group of 350 Spanish citizens present in Lebanon have asked to go to Spain, Robles adds.

Meanwhile South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol ordered military aircraft to be deployed immediately to evacuate its citizens from Israel and other parts of the Middle East amid escalating tension, his office says.

South Korea’s foreign ministry urges its citizens in Israel and Lebanon to immediately leave by any means available.

Government data for 2023 showed there were 572 South Koreans in Israel including permanent residents and Israeli passport holders and 214 in Lebanon.