Greek Military Plane Carries 60 People Out of Beirut to Cyprus
Massive destruction caused by the Israeli air strikes in Beirut, Oct. 4, 2024. X/ @EyeonPalestine
October 4, 2024 Hour: 8:12 am
Cyprus can provide accommodation to 7,000 evacuees for a short period of time, FM Kombos stated.
On Thursday, Cypriot Foreign Affairs Minister Constantinos Kombos confirmed that a Greek C-130 military transport plane landed at Larnaca airport carrying 60 people in the first emergency air evacuation from Lebanon. Aboard the plane were 38 Cypriots and 22 Greeks, who continued their journey to Athens.
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He said that Cyprus will charter a commercial flight to bring more Cypriot nationals out of Lebanon in the coming days, adding that citizens of other countries, who have no other means to flee, will be accepted on board.
Middle East Airlines, which still operates two flights a day out of Beirut airport to Larnaca, said that all its flights to Larnaca had been sold out for the foreseeable future. Cyprus Airways, which operates one daily flight to Beirut, said all tickets are sold out until the end of this month.
“The logic behind this arrangement is that evacuees from Lebanon must arrange their departure to their countries soon so that Cyprus can offer assistance to a larger number of evacuees,” Kombos stated, adding that Cyprus can provide accommodation to 7,000 evacuees for a short period of time.
Since the conflict in the Middle East escalated, Cyprus has activated its “Estia” plan, which aims to turn the nearest European country to Lebanon into a hub for third-country nationals to transfer back to their own countries.
Cypriot FM Kombos said that 11 countries had undertaken consultations with the ministry over the operation of the “Estia” plan. Some countries have also sent troops to Cyprus to assist the evacuation of their nationals, as Israeli forces intensify their actions against Lebanese territory.
“Belgium has sent soldiers and a medical team to South Cyprus to assist in the evacuation of its citizens from Lebanon,” Cyprus Mirror reported, adding that Belgian Defense Minister Ludivine stated that “South Cyprus, being a non-beligerent country close to the war zone, is suitable for rescue operations.”
teleSUR/ JF Source: Xinhua- Cyprus Mirror
