How are countries planning to evacuate their citizens from Lebanon?

Western nations are ramping up contingency plans to evacuate citizens from Lebanon after a sharp escalation in the conflict between Israel and the Lebanese armed movement Hezbollah, coupled with Iran's missile attack on Israel.

No country has launched a large-scale military evacuation yet, though some are chartering aircraft as Beirut airport stays open. Plans to evacuate to Cyprus by sea will enable movement of larger groups.

Here are details of the contingency planning by various countries:

Australia

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 reported.

Canada

News reports from Canada suggest it will cooperate with Australia in evacuating nationals by sea. The plan involves contracting a commercial vessel to ferry out 1,000 people a day, according to the Toronto Star newspaper.

Cyprus

The European Union member state closest to the Middle East is a likely hub for evacuations, having processed about 60,000 people fleeing the Hezbollah-Israel war in 2006. Neighboring Türkiye has offered facilities as well.

Cyprus has asked Greece to provide an aircraft that could be used to evacuate its nationals who wish to leave. There are an estimated 1,500 Cypriots in Lebanon.

France

France has not issued an evacuation order, despite having had plans for several months. Present contingency plans center on Cyprus and Beirut airport, while it is also discussing evacuations via Türkiye. 

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 defense ministries said in a joint statement on Monday.

Greece

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 October 4 and October 5, the Dutch Ministry of Defense said. 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 organize 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.

Spain

Spain plans to send two military aircraft to evacuate as many as 350 citizens from Lebanon as early as Thursday.

Türkiye

Türkiye 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 Türkiye. About 14,000 Turkish citizens were registered at the consulate in Lebanon, but the number was not definitive.

United Kingdom

The UK has urged nationals to leave immediately. It has moved about 700 troops to Cyprus, bolstering its military assets, including two Royal Navy ships. It also has two military bases on the island. 

The country has chartered a flight to help meet any additional demand from its citizens wishing to leave on Wednesday, and will fly them directly back to London.

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.

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