The first Slovak special, which evacuated people from Lebanon, landed in Bratislava early this afternoon. There were 46 people on board, another 44 will arrive on a second plane, Slovak Foreign Minister Juraj Blanár said at the airport. Slovakia also helps with the evacuation of Czech citizens. According to Foreign Ministry spokesman Daniel Drake, there were no Czechs on board this special.
Blanár said that the evacuation from Lebanon is the largest similar operation that Slovakia has ever carried out. Slovaks, Czechs and citizens of eight other countries were first evacuated from Beirut to Larnaca in Cyprus by a military special vehicle, and then transported from Larnaca by a pair of government planes.
98 evacuees reached Larnaca in this way or will continue to do so. Eight of them, including one from the Czech Republic, remain in Cyprus, others are already in Europe or will go there on an evening flight.
There were 25 Slovaks in the first special. There will be nine Slovaks in the second. In addition to its own citizens and Czechs, Slovakia also helps seven other European countries and the United States in the evacuation.
The Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs told ČTK this morning that ten Czechs and three of their family members of Lebanese nationality will leave Lebanon today on a Slovak repatriation flight. According to him, they should arrive in Bratislava at night.
People are leaving Lebanon after the Israeli army began an intensive attack on targets linked to the Shiite militant group Hezbollah. Since last Monday, the attacks have claimed more than 1,400 lives, leaving around 1.2 million people in the country of 5.6 million people from their homes.
Source: www.tyden.cz
