Approximately 2,500 Turkish citizens who want to leave Lebanon amid the Israeli attacks set sail towards Mersin with two ships, each with a capacity of 2,000 people belonging to the Naval Forces.

Turkish citizens living in Lebanon under Israeli attack gathered at the Beirut port for evacuation.

Two ships departing from Mersin carried 300 tons of humanitarian aid including food, medicine, tents, and blankets to Beirut. After unloading the aid supplies, the second phase began. Turkish citizens waiting at the port were taken to the ships by buses after passport procedures.

Sources from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported that about 1,900 citizens wanted to leave Lebanon. The statement mentioned, “On February 10, 878 of our citizens, 24 TRNC citizens, and 64 people from these two groups’ immediate family members (only spouse, children, mother, father) totaling 966 people are being evacuated from Lebanon on our ships.”

MINISTER FIDAN: SHIPS SET SAIL Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan announced that the two ships departed for Mersin.

Hakan Fidan shared on his social media account, “Upon the instructions of our President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, our ships evacuating Turkish citizens in Lebanon safely and providing humanitarian aid to the brotherly Lebanese people have departed from Beirut to Mersin. Our country will continue to extend a helping hand to the people in the region amid the humanitarian crisis caused by Israel’s spread of war in the region and take every step to protect the life and property safety of its citizens abroad.”

SHIPS CARRIED 300 TONS OF AID Ambassador Ulusoy pointed out to Anadolu Agency that Israel targeted the capital Beirut in its recent attacks. He mentioned that many Turkish citizens lived in Beirut neighborhoods, leading to requests for evacuation. The Beirut ambassador stated that the ships sent from Turkey had reached Lebanon with 300 tons of aid, sharing the following information: “Supporting our Lebanese brothers in their difficult times, we sent beds, tents, blankets, food parcels, kitchenware, and hygiene kits by combining the efforts of AFAD, Kızılay, and some of our associations.”