VARIOUS: Thousands of foreigners pack their bags to 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. Swedish-Lebanese evacuee Michillen Hanoun said she had come to Lebanon as a tourist, but was now trying to get back to Sweden. Convoys of other foreign nationals and Lebanese locals travelled the hazardous route to Syria from Lebanon in a mass exodus, as nations mustered boats and planes to reach citizens stranded by the bombing of Beirut airport, roads and bridges. 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 after Beirut's airport was closed following Israeli airstrikes. Lebanese passenger Ali Alush said the situation had been particularly difficult for children. "It was terrible and I can't explain it. Believe me, the children are badly affected just by the noise of the airplanes. You can't imagine the fear these children are going through. We also don't know the fate of my family. I have a big family down there," he said. 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

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