Factbox-What are countries doing to get their people out of Lebanon? By Reuters
(Reuters) – Nations around the world have begun evacuating civilians from Lebanon after a sharp escalation in the conflict between Israel and the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah, backed by Iran.
People also run away alone.
Here are the details of the exit or transfer plans:
AUSTRALIA
Australia has organized hundreds of airline seats to evacuate its citizens from Lebanon, flying military planes to Cyprus in an emergency plan. Plans may include evacuating the sea, although authorities have urged an estimated 15,000 residents in Lebanon to leave while Beirut's airport remains open.
BELGIUM
Belgium's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has advised citizens to leave as soon as possible, Belgian media said.
BRAZIL
Brazil, which says 3,000 citizens want to be sent home, has sent an Air Force Airbus A330 to those who want to leave. The plane was supposed to fly 220 people to Beirut on Friday and make two flights a week.
CHINA
More than 200 Chinese citizens have been safely evacuated from Lebanon, China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Saturday.
CANADA
News from Canada suggests that it will cooperate with Australia in evacuating the country's people by sea, while the Toronto Star newspaper says that the plan involves hiring a commercial ship to evacuate 1,000 a day.
CYPRUS
Cyprus evacuated 38 of its citizens on Thursday using a plane provided by Greece. The Cypriot population in Lebanon is estimated at 1,000 to 1,500.
DENMARK
Denmark urged citizens to leave immediately but said it had not yet started evacuations as there were still flights from Lebanon.
Lebanon's Middle East Airlines will add more flights from Beirut to European destinations to meet the demand for foreign travel, Denmark's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
FRANCE
France has had emergency plans for months but has not ordered people to leave. Current plans focus on Cyprus and Beirut airports, and also discuss emigration through Turkey. France has a warship in the region, and a helicopter will arrive in the eastern Mediterranean in the coming days in preparation for any decision to evacuate foreigners from Lebanon.
IN GERMANY
Germany's foreign ministry said it would fly another 219 citizens out of Lebanon on Friday as it continues to evacuate non-essential workers, families of diplomatic staff and nationals at risk of health. It says it will support others trying to leave.
GREECE
Greece evacuated 22 people on Thursday, along with Cypriot citizens. He urged citizens to leave Lebanon and avoid any travel there, placing a frigate on standby in case assistance is needed.
IN ITALY
Italy has cut diplomatic staff and beefed up security at its embassy in Beirut. Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani has repeatedly called on civilians to leave the country and sought assurances from Israel about the safety of Italian peacekeepers in the area.
JAPAN
Eleven Japanese and five foreigners fled Lebanon to Jordan aboard a Japanese C-2 military aircraft on Friday. There were about 50 Japanese citizens in Lebanon as of Thursday.
THE NETHERLANDS
The Netherlands is sending a military plane to repatriate people from Lebanon on two flights on Friday and Saturday, the Dutch Defense Ministry said, adding that flights to Eindhoven military airport will also accommodate foreigners if there is enough space.
POLAND
A plane carrying a large number of Polish citizens and citizens of other countries who wanted to leave Lebanon arrived in Warsaw on Friday. Poland previously said it would reduce staff numbers at its embassy in Beirut.
PORTUGAL
Prime Minister Luis Montenegro has advised against going to Lebanon, which has helped to evict the small number of Portuguese citizens living there.
ROMANIA
Romania evacuated 69 citizens from Lebanon on a military plane on Thursday, its foreign and security ministers said.
More than 1,100 Romanian citizens and their families have registered their presence in Lebanon at the embassy, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said this week.
IN RUSSIA
Russia has begun evacuating citizens from Lebanon, with the families of its politicians departing on a special flight from Beirut on Thursday, its emergency minister said. About 3,000 Russians and citizens of the Commonwealth of Independent States want to leave, TASS news agency said.
SLOVAKIA
Slovakia will send a military plane to fly Slovak and other citizens to Cyprus.
SOUTH KOREA
A South Korean military plane evacuated 97 citizens and family members from Lebanon, the country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Saturday.
SPAIN
Spain has said it plans to send two military planes to evacuate up to 350 civilians from Lebanon.
GARLIC
The Turkish Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday that it is ready to evacuate Turkish citizens from Lebanon by air and sea, and that it is working with about 20 countries to evacuate foreigners through Turkey. About 14,000 Turkish citizens were registered at the consulate in Lebanon, but the number was unclear.
UNITED KINGDOM
Britain has chartered a limited number of flights for citizens to leave Lebanon, it said on Thursday, repeating advice for an immediate evacuation. More than 150 British nationals and their dependents left Beirut on a government-chartered plane on Wednesday.
Britain has moved about 700 troops to Cyprus, bolstering military supplies, including two Royal Navy ships.
UNITED STATES
The United States has ordered a large number of troops to be sent to Cyprus to help prepare for situations such as the removal of Americans from Lebanon. It is working with airlines to add flights out of Lebanon, with more seats for Americans, the State Department said Tuesday.
