Turkey has sent two naval ships to evacuate around 2,000 of its citizens from Lebanon, as the situation in the country worsens amid ongoing Israeli bombardments in the southern suburbs of Beirut.
The Turkish government coordinated the evacuation, and the ships are expected to arrive at Mersin, a port in southern Turkey, in the early hours of Thursday.
Ambassador Ali Baris Ulusoy confirmed that the ships are prepared to transport Turkish nationals and their families seeking to leave the conflict-affected region.
Turkey, which is estimated to have 14,000 citizens registered with its consulate in Lebanon, announced the move on Tuesday because of the deteriorating security situation on the ground in Lebanon.
Images on TRT Haber showed a crowd of people at Beirut port waiting to board the boats.
The ambassador said the two ships were also bringing “approximately 300 tonnes of humanitarian aid” to show Turkey’s support for the Lebanese people, including tents, bedding, hygiene kits and kitchenware.
Since September 23, Israel has intensified strikes on Hezbollah strongholds in Lebanon, killing more than 1,100 people and forcing more than a million to flee, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) said on Monday.
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