Belgians unable to evacuate from Lebanon for the time being due to sold-out flights
Despite urgent advice from the FPS Foreign Affairs for the more than 1,800 Belgian citizens in Lebanon to depart as soon as possible, they are unable to due to sold-out commercial flights.
"We still advise Belgian citizens to register on TravellersOnline or at the embassy in Beirut, and to leave Lebanon as soon as possible. This is still possible with commercial flights, and Middle Eastern Airways is still operating flights," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs told Belga earlier on Tuesday. However, by Tuesday afternoon, it was clear that no tickets were available for these flights.
Belgians are not the only ones facing difficulties. Dutch citizens in Lebanon are encountering the same problem, as the authorities in The Hague have also advised their nationals to leave, but commercial flights with Middle Eastern Airways are fully booked.
Meanwhile, the United Kingdom is sending a plane to Lebanon on Wednesday to evacuate British citizens. Germany has similarly deployed a plane to extract diplomatic staff, their families and other Germans with medical conditions preventing them from leaving on their own. On Monday, Canada reserved 800 seats on commercial flights to assist its citizens in leaving the country.
The escalation of violence in the region is driving the urgency. Israel has been conducting attacks on Lebanese territory for some time, but the intensity has significantly increased in recent weeks. The Israeli army launched heavy air strikes against Hezbollah, and during the night from Monday to Tuesday, they began a ground invasion.
As of now, Belgium’s outgoing federal government has not yet convened to discuss a possible evacuation of Belgian citizens from Lebanon.
Passengers wait to board their flight at Beirut's International airport on 28 September 2024
© PHOTO AMANDA MOUAWAD / AFP
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