Countries around the world have drawn up emergency plans to evacuate citizens from Lebanon after a dramatic escalation in the conflict between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah and Iran’s missile attack on Israel on Tuesday.
No country has yet begun a large-scale military evacuation, although some are chartering planes as Beirut’s airport remains open.
Here are the details on emergency planning:
AUSTRALIA
It has organized hundreds of airline seats for its citizens to leave Lebanon and sent military planes to Cyprus as part of a contingency plan. His contingency plans could include evacuating by sea, although authorities have urged some 15,000 citizens in Lebanon to leave while Beirut’s airport remains open.
BELGIUM
Belgium’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has advised citizens to leave as soon as possible, the Belga news agency reported.
CHINA
More than 200 Chinese citizens have been safely evacuated by the government, China’s official Xinhua news agency said.
CANADA
News from Canada indicates that it will cooperate with Australia in evacuating citizens by sea. The plan includes contracting a commercial ship to carry 1,000 people a day, the Toronto Star newspaper reported.
CYPRUS
Cyprus evacuated 38 Cypriot nationals from Beirut on Thursday on a plane provided by Greece. There are about 1000-1500 Cypriots in Lebanon.
DENMARK
Denmark’s foreign ministry urged Danish citizens to leave Lebanon as soon as possible, but said no evacuation had begun as there were still commercial flights from Lebanon. Lebanon’s Middle East Airlines will deploy additional flights from Beirut to destinations in Europe to meet demand for business travel outside the country, the Danish Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
FRANCE
France has not issued an evacuation order, although plans have been in place for several months. Current contingency plans focus on Cyprus and Beirut airport, while evacuations via Turkey are also being discussed. 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 a position in case a decision is taken to evacuate foreign nationals from Lebanon.
GERMANY
Germany is evacuating non-essential personnel, families of embassy staff and German citizens 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
Greece evacuated 22 of its citizens on Thursday, along with some Cypriot nationals. The Greek Foreign Ministry has urged its citizens to leave Lebanon and avoid any travel there, with a frigate on standby in case help is needed.
ITALY
Italy has cut diplomatic staff and beefed up security at its embassy in Beirut. Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani has repeatedly called on citizens to leave the country and sought assurances from Israel about the safety of Italian peacekeepers in the area.
NETHERLANDS
The Netherlands will send a military plane to repatriate citizens from Lebanon on two flights on October 4 and 5, the Dutch defense ministry said on Wednesday. Flights to the military air base in Eindhoven will also be available for people from other countries if there is enough space to accommodate them, the announcement said.
POLAND
Poland will limit the number of staff at its embassy in Beirut, a foreign ministry spokesman said on Tuesday, adding that Warsaw would arrange transport for citizens who want to leave Lebanon.
PORTUGAL
Prime Minister Luis Montenegro advised against travel to Lebanon, which helped evacuate a small number of Portuguese citizens living there.
ROMANIA
Romania evacuated 69 citizens from Lebanon by military plane 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.
RUSSIA
Russia began evacuating citizens from Lebanon and a special flight left Beirut on Thursday with family members of Russian diplomats, the emergency minister said. About 3,000 Russians and citizens of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) want to leave, TASS reported.
SPAIN
Spain plans to send two military planes to evacuate around 350 citizens from Lebanon as early as Thursday.
TURKEY
Turkey is ready for the possible evacuation of Turks from Lebanon by air and sea and is working with about 20 countries for the possible evacuation of foreign nationals through Turkey. About 14,000 Turkish citizens are registered at the consulate in Lebanon, but the number is not final.
THE UNITED KINGDOM
The British government has chartered a limited number of flights to help its citizens leave Lebanon, it said on Thursday, reiterating its advice to evacuate immediately. More than 150 British nationals and their dependents left Beirut on a government-chartered flight on Wednesday. Britain has moved around 700 troops to Cyprus, bolstering its military assets, including two Royal Navy ships.
THE UNITED STATES
The United States has ordered dozens of troops to be deployed to Cyprus to help prepare for scenarios such as evacuating Americans from Lebanon. It is working with airlines to add flights from Lebanon with more seats for Americans, the State Department said Tuesday.
(This story was not edited by News18 staff and was published by a syndicated news agency feed – Reuters)
