From US To Russia, Countries Scramble To Bring Their Citizens Home From Lebanon As Crisis Deepens

Countries worldwide have drafted contingency plans to evacuate citizens from Lebanon after a dramatic escalation in the conflict between Israel and the Lebanese armed movement Hezbollah and 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 organised 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

Belgium’s 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 evacuated 38 Cypriot nationals from Beirut on Thursday on an aircraft provided by Greece. There are an estimated 1,000-1,500 Cypriots in Lebanon.

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

France has not issued an evacuation order, despite having had plans for several months. Present contingency plans centre 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 defence ministries said in a joint statement on Monday.

GREECE

Greece evacuated 22 of its nationals on Thursday, along with some Cypriot citizens. 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 Defence 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 organise transport for citizens wanting to leave Lebanon.

PORTUGAL

Prime Minister Luis Montenegro has advised against travel to Lebanon, which 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 defence 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 has started evacuating citizens from Lebanon and a special flight left Beirut on Thursday with the family members of Russian diplomats, its emergencies minister said. About 3,000 Russians and citizens of the Commonweath of Independent States (CIS) want to leave, TASS news agency reported.

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

The British government has chartered a limited number of flights to help its citizens to leave Lebanon, it said on Thursday, repeating its advice for them to evacuate immediately. More than 150 British nationals and dependents left Beirut on a government-chartered flight on Wednesday. Britain has moved about 700 troops to Cyprus, bolstering its military assets, including two Royal Navy ships.

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.

(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed – Reuters)