As tensions between Israel and Hezbollah continue to escalate, European countries have been conducting evacuations of their citizens from Lebanon. Germany, Greece, Spain, and France have all sent military planes to bring home their nationals who are living in the conflict-ridden country. The evacuees spoke of their fear and the difficult situations they had witnessed in Lebanon. The evacuations come as the Israeli military issued fresh evacuation orders for communities in southern Lebanon, indicating a possible widening of ground operations against Hezbollah. Israeli forces have instructed people to leave Nabatieh and other communities north of the Litani River, beyond the UN buffer zone established after the 2006 war. Turkish and foreign nationals have also been evacuated from Lebanon, with hundreds arriving in Mersin on ships. The Turkish Foreign Ministry has set up an emergency hotline for citizens to apply for evacuations amid concerns over the deteriorating security situation in Lebanon. Meanwhile, Air France has suspended all passenger flights to Lebanon until early October. The evacuations reflect the growing fears of a wider regional conflict in the Middle East as hostilities between various factions intensify.
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As conflict intensifies in Lebanon, EU countries step up efforts to evacuate their citizens
