(Reuters) – Nations worldwide have prepared contingency plans to evacuate citizens from Lebanon after a dramatic escalation in the conflict between Israel and the Lebanese armed movement Hezbollah.
Although no country has launched a large-scale military evacuation yet, some are chartering aircraft. People are also fleeing on their own.
Here are details of contingency planning:
AUSTRALIA
Australia has organised hundreds of airline seats for its citizens to leave Lebanon, flying military aircraft to Cyprus in a contingency plan. 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.
BRAZIL
Brazil, which says 3,000 national want to be repatriated, has sent an Air Force Airbus A330 for those seeking to leave. The plane will fly 220 people out of Beirut on Friday and do two flights a week.
CHINA
More than 200 Chinese citizens have been safely evacuated by the government, the official Xinhua news agency said.
CANADA
News from Canada suggests it will co-operate with Australia in evacuating nationals by sea, with the Toronto Star newspaper saying the plan involves contracting a commercial vessel to ferry out 1,000 each day.
CYPRUS
Cyprus evacuated 38 of its nationals on Thursday using an aircraft provided by Greece. Cypriots in Lebanon are estimated to number 1,000 to 1,500.
DENMARK
Denmark has urged citizens to leave as soon as possible but said it had not initiated an evacuation as there were still commercial flights out of Lebanon.
The Lebanese airline, Middle East Airlines, will add extra flights from Beirut to destinations in Europe to meet the demand for commercial travel outwards, the Danish foreign ministry said.
FRANCE
France has had contingency plans for months but has not yet ordered evacuation. Current plans centre on Cyprus and Beirut airport, while it is also discussing evacuations via Turkey. France has a warship in the region, with a helicopter carrier set to arrive in the eastern Mediterranean in coming days in preparation for any decision to evacuate foreign nationals from Lebanon.
GERMANY
Germany has evacuated non-essential staff, families of embassy workers and medically vulnerable nationals and will support those trying to leave, the foreign and defence ministries said on Monday.
GREECE
Greece evacuated 22 of its nationals on Thursday, along with some Cypriot citizens. It has urged citizens to leave Lebanon and avoid any travel there, putting a frigate on standby in case assistance is required.
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 via two flights on Friday and Saturday, the Dutch defence ministry has said, adding that the flights to the military airbase in Eindhoven will also accommodate people from other countries if there is enough room.
POLAND
Poland will limit staff numbers at its Beirut embassy, a foreign ministry spokesperson said on Tuesday, adding that Warsaw would organise 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.
ROMANIA
Romania evacuated 69 citizens from Lebanon in a military aircraft on Thursday, its foreign and defence ministries said.
More than 1,100 Romanian citizens and their families registered their presence in Lebanon at the embassy, the foreign ministry said this week.
RUSSIA
Russia has started evacuating citizens from Lebanon, with families of its diplomats leaving on a special flight from Beirut on Thursday, its emergencies minister said. About 3,000 Russians and citizens of the Commonwealth of Independent States want to leave, the TASS news agency said.
SLOVAKIA
Slovakia will send a military aircraft to fly Slovak and other citizens to Cyprus.
SPAIN
Spain said it planned to send two military aircraft to evacuate as many as 350 citizens from Lebanon.
TURKEY
Turkey’s foreign ministry said on Tuesday it was ready for possible evacuation of Turks from Lebanon via air and sea, and was working with about 20 countries for a possible evacuation of foreign nationals via Turkey. About 14,000 Turkish citizens were registered at the consulate in Lebanon, but the number was not definitive.
UNITED KINGDOM
Britain has chartered a limited number of flights for citizens to leave Lebanon, it said on Thursday, repeating advice to evacuate immediately. More than 150 British nationals and dependents left Beirut on a government-chartered flight on Wednesday.
Britain has moved about 700 troops to Cyprus, bolstering military assets, including two Royal Navy ships.
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 on Tuesday.
(This story has been refiled to fix the length of the hyperlink in paragraph 2)
