VARIOUS: Thousands of foreigners and Lebanese flee Israeli air strikes in Lebanon

The United States ordered five military ships to head for Lebanon on Tuesday (July 18) in its first major evacuation of Americans as thousands of foreigners packed their bags to flee Israeli air strikes pounding the country. The week-long Israeli bombardment has killed at least 230 people in Lebanon, all but 26 of them civilians. The U.S. navy said three amphibious ship, a helicopter carrier and a dock landing ship would be involved in the operation, to help some 8,000 Americans registered as living in Lebanon. U.S. Marine helicopters airlifted 45 Americans from Lebanon to Cyprus - children and women with babies were among the passengers boarding a helicopter in Beirut. Other Americans were among evacuees on a Greek ship bound for Cyprus. "They have told us that we are heading to Larnaca in Cyprus and I don't know what will happen once I arrive there," said U.S. citizen Mark Peterlan, who arrived at the port by bus. Convoys of other foreign nationals and Lebanese locals travelled the hazardous route to Syria from Lebanon in a mass exodus. More than 30,000 Lebanese have entered Syria through four crossing points since Thursday. At least 70,000 people of other nationalities have also crossed to flee Israeli bombings. Relations between Lebanon and Syria plummeted after last year's assassination of Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri and the subsequent Syrian troop withdrawal from the country. But Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has ordered the government to ease border procedures and open Syrian airports and ports for aid bound for Lebanon without charge. Syria is also sending aid. Meanwhile, the first plane carrying 450 French evacuees who fled Lebanon arrived on Tuesday night at Roissy Charles de Gaulle airport. The passengers on board a Boeing 747 operated by Air France had earlier arrived in Larnaca (Cyprus) by ferry after Beirut's airport was no longer in service following Israeli airstrikes. Passengers were greeted by French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy. One woman thanked him, saying: "Thank you, thank you so much, you've saved us". The evacuees were happy to be back in France but very concerned about the situation in Lebanon. "Lebanon is in a terrible state, I'm thinking of those who stayed there and thinking of their future. I wish to go back to Lebanon in some other conditions," said French teacher Lamice Hokayem. In Duesseldorf, Germany, relatives broke down in tears of relief as their families arrived on planes carrying evacuees from the Syrian capital Damascus, in a joint operation between airline LTU and the German Foreign Ministry. The 320 passengers, including ten unaccompanied children, were taken to Damascus by bus. The United Nations said on Tuesday it was pulling non-essential staff and family members from Lebanon, but relief workers would stay.

ITN Source | July 19, 2006

Tags:. .charles. .germany. .earlier. .airports. .wish