An empty hall at Beirut International Airport on September 28, 2024. Almost exclusively, the national carrier, Middle East Airlines, is still operating flights connecting Beirut to international destinations amid violent Israeli strikes on Lebanon. (Credit: Aya Chmaytelli/AFP)
Due to the rapid deterioration of the situation in Lebanon, marked by "limited, localized, and targeted ground raids ... in villages near the border" on Monday night according to the Israeli army in a statement, many countries have indicated taking measures for their nationals to leave Lebanon. Few foreign airlines still provide connections to Lebanon, and the flights of the national carrier, Middle East Airlines, are completely full for the coming days. The possibilities of departure by commercial flights have therefore drastically reduced.
Here are some measures announced by the embassies:
- On Wednesday, Greece’s defense minister announced that his country would deploy a C-130 military transport plane to Cyprus to assist in evacuating its nationals from Lebanon. “The Greek Air Force is providing a C-130 transport aircraft to Cyprus for the evacuation of Cypriot nationals from Lebanon,” Greek Minister Nikos Dendias wrote on X (formerly Twitter) late Wednesday.
The move comes in response to a request from Cypriot Defense Minister Vassilis Palmas, Dendias added.
- Also on Wednesday, Spain’s defense minister said Madrid would send two military aircraft to evacuate its nationals from Lebanon.
- Slovakia said Wednesday it was preparing to evacuate its citizens and other European Union nationals from Lebanon. The Slovak Ministry of Foreign Affairs also approved the use of a military plane to deliver humanitarian aid to the country, Reuters reported. Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Croatia, and Poland have expressed willingness to cooperate in evacuating their nationals as part of Slovakia’s plan.
- France has deployed a French Navy vessel from the southeast of the country to position off the coast of Lebanon as a "precaution" in case French nationals need to be evacuated. The French amphibious helicopter carrier (PHA), which will take "5 to 6 days" to reach the eastern Mediterranean from the port of Toulon, according to this source, is equipped with helicopters and an "embarked tactical group" that can be mobilized in case of evacuation of French nationals if decided.
- In response to the increased tensions on Monday night, the British government has chartered a commercial flight to help British nationals wishing to leave Lebanon. On Wednesday, a commercial flight chartered by the UK for its nationals left Lebanon. Another flight is scheduled for tomorrow, British Foreign Secretary David Lammy said. “It is essential that you leave now, as a later evacuation may not be guaranteed,” Lammy wrote in a statement on Tuesday, according to his ministry. The flight will prioritize “vulnerable” British nationals, the statement added.
Last week, the UK announced the deployment of 700 soldiers to Cyprus to prepare for a possible evacuation of its nationals from Lebanon.
British nationals, dual citizens, and their close families total around 5,000 people in Lebanon. “The UK government is giving you an option to leave now. My message is: take it,” Lammy said in a video message on X
- Canada announced on Monday that it had reserved 800 seats on commercial flights to help its nationals leave Lebanon. About 45,000 Canadians are in Lebanon, and the next flight is scheduled for Tuesday. The Canadian army has also set up emergency resources in Cyprus if commercial flights are interrupted.
- A German military aircraft took off for Beirut on Monday to evacuate German embassy staff in Lebanon and their families, the ministries of Foreign Affairs and Defense said. The evacuation concerns "non-essential" staff of the embassy, which remains "operational," the statement said. Employees of other German organizations, as well as their families, and "particularly threatened German nationals due to medical circumstances" will also be repatriated.
- The United States organized a flight from Beirut to Istanbul today to allow Americans to leave Lebanon, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said. Miller told a press briefing that around 7,000 U.S. citizens in Lebanon had registered with the U.S. government to receive information about leaving the country, although not all of those are looking for assistance to leave. Today's flight had a capacity of about 300 and carried around 100 Americans and their family members, Miller said, adding Washington had been working with airlines since Saturday to make seats available to Americans on commercial flights.
- The Lebanese General Security announced on Monday that Lebanese citizens are allowed to travel to Iraq with only their ID card.
New airline announcements:
- On Tuesday, the German airline Lufthansa announced that it would extend the suspension of its flights to Beirut until Nov. 30 instead of the initially scheduled Oct. 26.
- The Swiss airline Swiss also announced on Tuesday the extension of the suspension of its flights to Beirut until Nov. 30, and to Tel Aviv until Oct. 31.
- On Monday, the airline of the United Arab Emirates Flydubai announced that it had suspended its flights between Dubai and Beirut until at least Oct. 7 due to "ongoing developments," the company said in a statement.
- Air France and Transavia flights to Beirut and Tel Aviv from Paris are suspended at least until Oct. 8 "due to the security situation at the destination," also announced the parent company of the airlines on Monday.
The context:
The Israeli army announced on Tuesday that ground troops had crossed the border to fight Hezbollah in villages in southern Lebanon despite international calls for de-escalation. After the devastating blow to the armed group with the assassination of its leader Hassan Nasrallah on Friday in an Israeli strike near Beirut, Israeli leaders warned that the war was not over against the Shiite party.
The Israeli army specified in a statement that these ground operations, which began on Monday night, were "limited, localized, and targeted" against "Hezbollah's terrorist targets and infrastructures." The army did not, however, specify the number of soldiers involved in this incursion. "These targets are located in villages near the border and pose an immediate threat to Israeli communities in northern Israel," it assured.
In parallel with this incursion, the Israeli air force carried out an unprecedented strike on the Palestinian refugee camp of Ain al-Hilweh, on the outskirts of Saida, targeting the head of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, the armed wing of Fateh, Mounir Maqdah, who reportedly escaped this assassination attempt. According to an initial tally, this strike killed at least six people, including Maqdah's son, Hassan, and his three children, and injured several others.
The Israeli army has been conducting intense and deadly bombardments on Lebanon for several days. According to a Lebanese security official speaking anonymously, Israel launched at least six new strikes on southern Beirut during the night after the Israeli army ordered residents to evacuate the area. The Israeli army also struck the Ain al-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp near Saida.
