DIU and MFA of Ukraine returned 179 people from Lebanon, including 134 Ukrainian citizens
On 1 October 2024, on the instructions of the President of Ukraine, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine and the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine successfully carried out another operation to evacuate citizens in Lebanon.
According to Censor.NET, this was reported by the press service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
It is noted that a total of 179 people were evacuated, including 134 Ukrainian citizens.
Among the Ukrainians, there are 112 adults and 22 children. In addition, 45 people of other nationalities were evacuated - citizens of Poland, the Czech Republic, Lithuania, Moldova, Brazil and Lebanon. Two dogs and a cat were also evacuated.
"This operation was part of a broader effort to return Ukrainian citizens due to the deteriorating security and economic situation in the region. As part of three evacuation missions, 234 people were evacuated from Lebanon, including 189 Ukrainian citizens and 45 foreigners. We express our gratitude to Poland and SkyUp Airlines for their assistance in the evacuation," the statement said.
What preceded it?
The situation between Israel and "Hezbollah" escalated in September.
On 17-18 August, pagers in the pockets or hands of militants of the Iranian-backed Lebanese group "Hezbollah" exploded en masse in Lebanon. Israel, however, denies any involvement in the massive pager explosions of "Hezbollah" members, noting that the Lebanese group has many enemies.
At the same time, Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said that the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) will focus its military efforts in the north, where it borders Lebanon, as a "new phase" of the war begins.
On 27 September, IDF spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said that the Israeli Air Force had struck Hezbollah's headquarters in the Lebanese capital, Beirut.
Subsequently, the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) officially announced the elimination of the leader and one of the founders of the "Hezbollah" group, Hassan Nasrallah.
On 1 October, Israel informed the United States that it was conducting limited ground operations focused on Hezbollah's infrastructure in Lebanon.
