More and more luxury boats carrying refugees from Lebanon are arriving at Cyprus’ ports. Planes are also being diverted to the Mediterranean island.
Nicosia – The war in the Middle East has finally arrived in Lebanon. In the course of the clashes between Israel and the Islamist-Shiite Hezbollah In the neighboring country to the north, the military leadership is sending ground troops across the border. There are also air bombardments. Jerusalem had previously dealt a severe blow to the Iranian-backed terrorist organization by killing its leader Hassan Nasrallah, and also eliminated countless fighters via exploding pagers.
Now will the situation in Lebanon is becoming more confusing and precarious. Which also has consequences for Cyprus. Luxury boats have been arriving on the Mediterranean island for days, with which diplomats and other employees of foreign embassies in Lebanon, as well as citizens of the country and nationals of other countries, have fled by sea. This is reported by the state news agency of Cyprus CNA and the Cypriot Radio RIKas the German Press Agency (dpa) and Cypriot media report.
War in the Middle East: Diplomats and citizens flee by boat from Lebanon to Cyprus
Six to seven yachts with refugees arrive at the Agia Napa marina alone every day. By midday on Wednesday (October 2nd) there were said to have been 30. The port is prepared for the arrivals. On Monday morning, a boat carrying ten to 15 diplomats and administrative staff from a country that has diplomatic relations with Lebanon arrived at the Larnaca marina.
Cyprus is located northwest of Lebanon, and some of the coasts are only around 180 kilometers apart. A crossing between Beirut and Ayia Napa is said to cost between 1,000 and 1,500 euros per person, with reports of up to 5,000 euros in some cases. The Red Cross is said to have already asked boat owners for support. It is said that many flights from the Lebanese capital have been canceled and the rest are fully booked.
War between Israel and Hezbollah: Flights are diverted from the Middle East to Cyprus
Cyprus is preparing for the arrival of many refugees. Government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis announced on Tuesday via Twitter with that the national special plan “Estia” will be implemented. This regulates the admission and return of third-country nationals. He explained: “We are monitoring the development of the situation and are ready to support the evacuation measures for civilians depending on developments. This applies in particular in the event that the operation of open departure structures in the affected countries is impaired.”
On Wednesday, Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos emphasized that twelve flights with destinations in the Middle East had already been diverted to Cyprus. There were a total of 1,858 passengers on board. At that point, 804 of them had already flown on in five planes. Only 349 of the passengers were in the hotel, the remaining 705 were stranded at Larnaca airport, reported Cyprus Mail.
The background to the rerouted flights is also the large-scale air strikes that Iran launched on Israel. Ben-Gurion Airport, which is centrally located in the country, was also temporarily closed.
Israel attacks Hezbollah in Lebanon: Military calls on civilians to evacuate – air attack on Beirut
Meanwhile, Spain evacuated hundreds of citizens from Lebanon on Thursday afternoon, as announced. According to the Defense Ministry, two Air Force Airbus A330 and A400 aircraft were sent to Beirut. Around 200 people sat on board the first plane. A total of 350 citizens are to be flown back to Spain.
The Israeli military urged people in 25 towns in southern Lebanon to flee in view of the ground offensive. Since the operation is being carried out in the area, the civilians are expected to move beyond the Awali River, which is more than 60 kilometers from the border.
During the night the military launched another air raid on Beirut. According to the Lebanese Ministry of Health, nine people were killed and 14 others were injured. The Israel Defense Forces saidto have attacked a total of “200 Hezbollah terrorist targets on the territory of Lebanon” with warplanes. These include military buildings, weapons depots, observation posts and military infrastructure. (mg, with dpa)
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