A German military aircraft has been sent to Beirut to facilitate the departure of German embassy staff, along with their families and staff from German intermediary organizations.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Defense jointly announced on Monday that “in addition, particularly vulnerable German citizens, especially those with medical needs, will be transported by the Bundeswehr aircraft.”
After nearly a year of cross-border skirmishes, Israel last week launched a large-scale air campaign on targets across Lebanon.
According to Lebanese authorities, hundreds have been killed and tens of thousands have been displaced during the fighting in Lebanon.
The international community is pushing for de-escalation amid continued Israeli attacks and Hezbollah reprisals, but attempts at a ceasefire have so far been rebuffed by both sides.
The Foreign Ministry had this weekend raised crisis levels for German missions in Beirut, Tel Aviv and Ramallah in the West Bank.
The embassies remain operational, but non-essential personnel are flown out.
The ministry said all Germans in Lebanon have been urged to leave since October 2023, when the war in Gaza began. Germans remaining in Lebanon will continue to receive support from the embassy for their departure through commercial flights and other means, the report said.
Previously, the Foreign Ministry said it estimates that around 1,800 German nationals are currently in Lebanon as the country faces a massive escalation in the decades-long conflict between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia.
A Foreign Ministry spokesperson said about 1,800 people have registered on the ministry’s crisis preparedness list ELEFAND.
Thanks to the system, Germans abroad can be quickly informed by German representatives in acute situations and be involved in possible crisis measures such as evacuations.
A government spokesman said Beirut airport was still open, albeit with drastically reduced flight operations, as was Tel Aviv airport.
