Turkey will begin evacuating its citizens in Lebanon within the next 24 hours, the Foreign Ministry announced on Tuesday, informing that evacuations of Turkish citizens who have requested to leave the country will take place on 9 October by sea.
In a statement quoted by Turkish media, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said that two Turkish navy ships with the capacity to carry a total of about 2,000 passengers will leave today for Beirut, with evacuations continuing for several days if necessary.
The official statement adds that the Turkish consulate in Beirut will inform citizens in the country who have requested to leave Lebanon about the details of the evacuation process, and concludes that the same warships will carry on their outward journey several tonnes of humanitarian aid to be disembarked in Lebanon.
While it is only now that Ankara has begun mass, organised evacuations from Lebanon, Turkey has seen a steady stream of people fleeing the country as the conflict spreads from Lebanon’s southern border to the suburbs of the capital Beirut itself.
Sea, the main escape route out of Lebanon
Last Sunday alone, several dozen passengers from Lebanon disembarked at the port of Taşucu in Mersin (southern coast of Turkey), including both Turkish nationals residing in Lebanon and citizens of other nationalities, who arrive in Turkey as transit travellers and from there head to other countries.
Due to the massive flight cancellations in Beirut, sea transport to safe routes such as Cyprus or Turkey has become the main escape route for those trying to flee the war. Since Israel intensified its massive bombardment of Lebanon last week, it is estimated that more than 1,400 people have reached Turkey by sea from that country.
Turkey has officially registered some 14,000 citizens residing in Lebanon with its consulate in Beirut, of whom some 2,500 have so far reportedly requested to be evacuated from the country. After confirming their intention to be evacuated, the Turkish Foreign Ministry organised an evacuation plan taking into account the requests received.
Ministerial sources informed from Turkey that the two ships initially planned for the evacuation will leave today precisely from the port of Mersin. The evacuees will be informed via telephone messages of the meeting points and the departure time of the vessels from Beirut. Upon their arrival in Turkey, preparations have already been made to cover their immediate needs including accommodation, according to Ankara sources quoted by Turkish media.
Israel intensifies offensive on Lebanon
Since the start of the Israeli offensive against Hezbollah targets in Lebanon, more than 1,250 people are estimated to have been killed and more than 3,600 injured in the shelling, which has also forced 1.2 million people to flee their homes, according to provisional figures from the Lebanese government, creating a severe humanitarian crisis in the region.
The situation is expected to worsen in the coming days as the Israeli army today announced new operations against Hezbollah along Lebanon’s southern coast, where it has deployed additional troops and ordered civilians along the Lebanese coast to evacuate the area. The announcement comes after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to continue what he called a ‘sacred war’ against Israel’s enemies until they are defeated. In recent hours, Hezbollah launched several rocket attacks on military bases outside Tel Aviv.
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Edited and reviewed by:
Pablo Gómez is a specialist in Turkey and has been editor-in-chief of Hispanatolia since 2011. He has been analysing current affairs and geopolitics in Turkey and the surrounding region since 2006.
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