The evacuation of Turkish citizens from Lebanon has begun, as announced by Turkey’s Beirut Ambassador Ali Barış Ulusoy in an interview with NTV. A group of 2,500 people heading to Turkey has gathered at Beirut Port. The TCG Bayraktar ship has started taking in passengers. Civilians will also board the TCG Sancaktar, and both ships will set sail for Turkey.

As Israel continues its aerial and ground attacks on Lebanon, several countries, including Turkey, have taken action to evacuate their citizens.

Turkey’s Beirut Ambassador Ali Barış Ulusoy provided remarks to NTV regarding the evacuation of Turkish citizens.

Ambassador Ulusoy declared that the evacuation of Turkish citizens from Lebanon has started, with 2,500 individuals congregated at Beirut Port.

He noted that the number of evacuees could increase in the event of heightened Israeli aggression.

Ships departing from Beirut to Turkey will first arrive in Mersin.

Under the coordination of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of National Defense, the amphibious ships TCG Sancaktar and TCG Bayraktar of the Naval Forces Command, which delivered 300 tons of humanitarian aid to Lebanon, were ceremoniously greeted upon their arrival.

The ambassador mentioned that after unloading the humanitarian aid from the ships, Turkish citizens will board, with the journey expected to take around 12 hours.

SHIPS CARRIED 300 TONS OF AID Ambassador Ulusoy, in a statement to Anadolu Agency, highlighted that Israel’s recent attacks targeted the capital Beirut. Due to many Turkish citizens residing in various neighborhoods of Beirut, requests for evacuation were submitted. The ambassador shared the following information: “Through the collaboration of AFAD, Red Crescent, and some associations, we sent essential supplies to our Lebanese brothers and sisters in need during these difficult times, including beds, tents, blankets, food packages, kitchen utensils, and hygiene kits.”

CIVILIANS BEING BOARDED ON SHIPS The TCG Bayraktar and TCG Sancaktar, vessels under the Naval Forces, carried humanitarian aid to Lebanon. The aid was offloaded at Beirut Port, and subsequently, civilians, mostly comprising Turkish citizens, began boarding the ships for evacuation. Among those evacuated were elderly individuals, persons with disabilities, infants, and children. Turkey’s Beirut Ambassador Ali Barış Ulusoy and Rear Admiral Nihat Baran, Commander of the Evacuation Task Group in Lebanon, greeted those evacuated. Two frigates and two patrol ships accompanying the vessels will direct the evacuees towards Turkey. Health checks for the evacuees will be conducted by doctors on the ships. Additionally, citizens of various countries will also be evacuated with Turkey’s assistance. A similar evacuation operation was carried out during the 2006 Israel-Lebanon War, with Turkey evacuating nearly 1100 citizens from Beirut at that time.

ANNOUNCEMENT FROM BEIRUT EMBASSY

The Turkish Embassy in Beirut released a statement on social media concerning Turkish citizens wishing to depart from Lebanon.

The statement highlighted the commencement of evacuations via sea, and included, “Preparations are being made for a limited number of flight services at the Beirut-Istanbul Airport and/or Beirut-Cukurova Airport routes for the citizens who wish to return to Turkey by air, upon payment of the fare.” HOW WILL THE EVACUATION PROCESS WORK? The evacuation process will begin by contacting the consulate call center. Pre-registration applications for Turkish citizens who wish to return to Turkey by air will be made via the Consulate Call Center, operating 24 hours a day (+90 312 292 29 29). Details such as when and where the flights will take place will be subsequently shared with the registered citizens.