Widespread Evacuation of Foreign Citizens from Lebanon Amid Israeli Attacks

Various countries have been evacuating their citizens from Beirut, the capital of Lebanon, as Israeli airstrikes continue. After two weeks of intense aerial bombardment, Israel has deployed its forces into southern Lebanon, amid the possibility of an attack on Iran. On Thursday, October 12, the Israeli army bombed central Beirut after suffering its worst casualties in a year of conflict with Hezbollah. Hezbollah claimed that seven members of a 'civil defense group' were killed in this attack. Israel also reported that 15 Hezbollah members were killed in an attack on the city of Bint Jbeil, while eight Israeli soldiers died in a ground assault in southern Lebanon. Meanwhile, dozens of Greek and Cypriot families, along with their children, boarded a Greek military plane at Beirut airport, which transported 38 Cypriots to an airport in Cyprus and 22 Greeks to an airport in Athens. Giorgos Saib, one of the Greeks who left Lebanon, told Reuters: 'We were trapped; all flights are full, and the earliest flight we can take is in ten days, and the situation is getting worse every day.' As foreign nationals attempt to leave Lebanon, countries around the world, from China to Europe, have been planning the evacuation of their citizens. Russia arranged a special flight for the families of its diplomats on Thursday. Australia also reserved hundreds of airplane seats for its citizens' evacuation. Gretchen, an American citizen who had lived in Beirut for five years, said she had to reach the port of Tasucu in Mersin, Turkey, by a commercial ship due to the cancellation of flights from Beirut in recent days. Jiji Khalifa, a Cypriot of Libyan descent who moved to Lebanon four years ago for his two children to learn Arabic, told Reuters at Larnaca Airport in Cyprus: 'The bombs were very close. It was terrifying,' adding, 'I feel bad. My friends, my children's friends... I don't know if we will see each other again.' Meanwhile, Israel has increased the number of cities in southern Lebanon, including Nabatieh, from which it has asked residents to evacuate immediately to 70 cities, indicating a new operation by Israel. Israel claims that the goal of its operations in Lebanon is to return thousands of its citizens to their homes in northern Israel, who have been displaced due to Hezbollah's rocket attacks. This group, supported by the Islamic Republic, began rocket attacks against Israel following the Hamas militants' attack on October 15 last year. According to Reuters, the Lebanese government states that 1.2 million Lebanese have been displaced due to Israeli attacks and reported the deaths of two soldiers on Thursday. In this context, Firas Abiad, Lebanon's health minister, announced that since the beginning of Israeli attacks on Lebanon last year, nearly 2,000 people have been killed, and over 9,300 have been injured. Reuters also reported that on Thursday, several explosions were heard in the Dahiyeh neighborhood in southern Beirut, which is under Hezbollah's influence, and large columns of smoke were seen. Hezbollah also announced that it detonated an improvised explosive device against Israeli forces in a village in southern Lebanon and attacked Israeli forces near the border. Meanwhile, Israel is seeking a strong response to the largest direct attack by the Islamic Republic on this country, which occurred on Tuesday, October 10. The first attack by the Islamic Republic on Israel took place on April 14 of this year. In this context, U.S. President Joe Biden commented on the possibility of an Israeli attack on Iran, saying: 'Nothing is going to happen today. We will talk about it later.' He also emphasized America's advisory role in this matter, stating: 'We do not allow Israel, but we advise Israel.' Islamic Republic officials have threatened a severe response to any potential attack by Israel following the missile attack on Israel. The missile attack by the Islamic Republic has been condemned by several countries, including the European Union, the UK, Canada, and the European Union. Meanwhile, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Emir of Qatar, called for serious efforts to establish a ceasefire and stop Israeli attacks on Lebanon, describing the events in the Middle East as 'mass genocide.' He stated that Qatar has always warned against what he termed Israel's 'impunity.' The Israeli ambassador to the UN stated: 'Our response to the Islamic Republic will be painful.' The Israeli ambassador at the Security Council described the Iranian regime as the embodiment of 'terror, death, and chaos.' The U.S. has called for a 'unified stance' from the Security Council against the Islamic Republic's attack on Israel. There is speculation about the potential impact of the Islamic Republic's missile attack on Israel on U.S. domestic security. Distrust is increasing between Tehran and Hezbollah; one of the IRGC forces was arrested due to curiosity about Nasrallah's whereabouts. Speculation continues about a powerful Israeli response to the Islamic Republic's attack. Joe Biden stated that Israel's response to the Islamic Republic's attack should be 'proportionate.' Guterres condemned the Islamic Republic's missile attack after being banned from entering Israel. Ground clashes between Israeli forces and Hezbollah continue, with Israel deploying more units to Lebanon.