A military plane will depart from Eindhoven airbase to Lebanon on Friday to evacuate Dutch citizens from the country. Another flight will depart on Saturday to evacuate Dutch citizens from the country.
According to the Ministry of Defence, a Multi Role Tanker Transport aircraft (MRTT) will fly to Beirut International Airport on Friday. There, the aircraft will pick up Dutch nationals who have registered with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. If the flights are not too full, people from other countries will also be taken along. The MRTT will then fly back to the military air base in Eindhoven.
It is not known how many Dutch nationals are currently in Lebanon, because there is no registration requirement. According to the NOS (Dutch broadcasting corporation), the Minister of Foreign Affairs speaks of hundreds, but he does not mention an exact number. In addition to the two military repatriation flights, it is still being investigated whether airline tickets can be arranged on commercial flights.
Escalation
The conflict between Hezbollah and Israel has escalated considerably in recent days. More and more parts of Lebanon are being bombed and tensions have risen further due to the death of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.
The minister initially believed that it was the people’s own responsibility to get away, but is now deploying military aircraft. Other countries, such as Germany and Great Britain, have done so before. Dutch people have been warned to leave the country for almost a year now and a code red travel advisory is also in effect.
Source: Studio040
Translated by: Bob
