Ukraine evacuated 179 people from Lebanon

The Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine (known as GUR) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) of Ukraine successfully evacuated 179 people from Lebanon, 134 of whom are citizens of Ukraine.

This was reported by the GUR.

The evacuation took place the day before, October 1, on the instructions of the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky.

In particular, it was possible to return 134 Ukrainians, including 112 adults and 22 children. In addition, 45 foreigners were evacuated, including 31 adults and 14 children: 16 citizens of Poland (10 adults and 6 children), 6 citizens of the Czech Republic (5 adults and a child), 9 citizens of Lithuania (6 adults and 3 children), 12 citizens of Moldovans (seven adults and five children), a citizen of Brazil and two adult citizens of Lebanon.

In addition, Ukraine evacuated two dogs and a cat. GUR notes that the operation was carried out quickly and without complications, given the security threats in the region.

This evacuation was part of a broader effort to return Ukrainian citizens due to the worsening security and economic situation in the region. In total, 234 people — 189 citizens of Ukraine and 45 foreigners — were evacuated from Lebanon within three evacuation missions over the past three months.

How to evacuate from Lebanon

It is necessary to contact the Embassy of Ukraine in the Republic of Lebanon.

• Phone number: (+961) 592 16 68;
• Email: emb_lb@mfa.gov.ua;

The 24-hour hotline of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine is also available at +38 (044) 238 16 57.

Israelʼs attack on Lebanon

On September 30, Israel launched a ground operation against the Hezbollah group in Lebanon. This was preceded by a month-long escalation of the situation between Israel and the group.

On September 17, hundreds of pagers belonging to Hezbollah members exploded in Lebanon. Because of this, 12 people died, almost 3 thousand were injured. Reuters, citing sources, writes that Israelʼs foreign intelligence service Mossad planted explosives in 5 000 pagers imported by the Lebanese group Hezbollah a few months before the explosions. ABC News notes that Israel has been preparing for the operation for at least 15 years. The Israeli president has officially denied the countryʼs involvement in blowing up pagers in Lebanon.

On September 18, a repeated series of explosions thundered in Lebanon. Walkie-talkies used by members of the Lebanese Hezbollah group and car radios were detonated. 14 people died, another 450 were injured. On the same day, Israel announced a "new phase" of the war — it would be fought mainly in the north of the country, which borders Lebanon. Since then, firefights between the IDF and Hezbollah have intensified.

On September 20, IDF struck the Hezbollah high command in Beirut. The commander of the groupʼs missile division Ibrahim Kubaisi was killed in the attack. And within a week, on September 27, IDF struck the Hezbollah headquarters in Beirut, the capital of Lebanon. The next day, the Israel Defense Forces and Hezbollah confirmed that Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was killed in the attack.

• In the north, Israel borders Lebanon, where the Iranian-backed Hezbollah group operates. Hezbollah and Israel have been attacking each other since the start of the Gaza war in October 2023.
• Hezbollah is a Lebanese Shiite Muslim military-political organization founded in 1982. Hezbollah is actively supported by Iran, it is recognized as a terrorist in more than 20 countries, in particular, in the USA, EU and Great Britain. Hezbollah has been against Israel since its inception.

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