A Bundeswehr aircraft carried relatives of employees of German missions Lebanon as well as staff from the representations themselves flown out of the country. The Foreign Office announced that an Air Force plane took off from Beirut this Monday to enable people to leave the country. As ZEIT ONLINE learned from the Foreign Office, 111 people were on board.
Previously, the crisis level for the representations was in Beirutbut also raised in Israeli Tel Aviv and Ramallah, said the Foreign Office and the Ministry of Defense. The so-called diplomatic pick-up initiated by this means that “staff who are not urgently needed” will also be flown out, according to the ministries’ statement. However, the embassies remained operational.
“Particularly at-risk German nationals” would also be flown out, particularly those who are medically at risk. Other Germans who are still in Lebanon would be supported by the embassy to leave the country via commercial means.
The Foreign Office knows of 1,800 Germans in Lebanon
The Foreign Office had previously announced that, to its knowledge, there were still around 1,800 people of German nationality in Lebanon. An “evacuation stage” has not yet been reached. The ministry had already asked all Germans in Lebanon to leave the country in October 2023, after the attack on Israel by the Palestinian terrorist organization Hamas.
After the Hamas attack, the pro-Iranian militia Hezbollah, based there, launched air strikes on Israel, which continue to this day. The fighting has intensified significantly in recent weeks. Israel has attacked numerous weapons depots and other Hezbollah facilities, killing militia commanders including its longtime leader Hassan Nasrallah. According to Lebanese sources, hundreds of people were killed in the attacks.
Unlike in previous months, the attacks affected not only the south of Lebanon, but also the capital Beirut and other areas. A ground offensive by Israeli troops on Lebanese territory is also expected. A report from the Washington Post According to reports, Israel has already informed the USA about a “limited” ground operation in Lebanon. Military infrastructure along the Lebanese-Israeli border should be cleared.
USA wants to organize additional flights
Against the background of the fighting The USA has also announced to make further efforts to make it easier for US citizens to leave Lebanon. The US Embassy in Beirut announced on Platform X that they are working with airlines to enable additional commercial flights from the country.
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A Bundeswehr aircraft carried relatives of employees of German missions Lebanon as well as staff from the representations themselves flown out of the country. The Foreign Office announced that an Air Force plane took off from Beirut this Monday to enable people to leave the country. As ZEIT ONLINE learned from the Foreign Office, 111 people were on board.
Previously, the crisis level for the representations was in Beirutbut also raised in Israeli Tel Aviv and Ramallah, said the Foreign Office and the Ministry of Defense. The so-called diplomatic pick-up initiated by this means that “staff who are not urgently needed” will also be flown out, according to the ministries’ statement. However, the embassies remained operational.