The armed forces of Germany — Bundeswehr — sent a transport aircraft to evacuate German citizens from Lebanon due to the ongoing Israeli air strikes against "Hezbollah" targets. This was announced on Monday, September 30, by the country's Ministry of Defense and Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
German Embassy staff in Lebanon who do not need to be there, relatives of diplomats, as well as German citizens at particular risk for medical reasons are being evacuated from Beirut to Berlin. A total of 110 people were on board the plane flying to Germany, according to the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
According to the official representative of this ministry, there are currently about 1,800 German citizens remaining in Lebanon. Due to the worsening situation in the Middle East, the government in Berlin has been calling on its citizens to leave Lebanon since October of last year.
Because of the fierce battles between Israeli defense forces and "Hezbollah" fighters, the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs has increased the threat level at its embassies in Beirut, Tel Aviv, and the city of Ramallah in the West Bank, initiating the "diplomatic evacuation" of several citizens. Meanwhile, the embassies continue their operations, German officials noted.
