Over 1,000 US citizens evacuated from Lebanon on ten flight

By Blessing Chinagorom

The United States has said it has evacuated over 1,000 citizens who’re legally permanent residents and their families from Lebanon since last week over the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.

While giving update at the Press Briefing on Tuesday, State Department Spokesperson, Mathew Miller who disclosed this, said ten flights left this morning, with approximately 120 U.S. citizens, legal permanent residents, and their family members on board.

According to him, “this morning evacuation brings the total number of U.S. citizens, legal permanent residents, and family members who have left on U.S.-organized flights since we started them last week to over 1,000, on ten flights.
“We’ve had ten flights go out, each with a capacity of 300 people; a total of 3,000 seats that we’ve made available on these flights have been filled so far by over 1,000 people.

“In addition with flights that have gone out on Middle East airways, Middle East Airlines, we have now blocked over 900 seats, and we know that hundreds of them have been filled by Americans as well”, he said.

Miller revealed that about 8,800 people are in contact with the United States, with the State Department, looking for more information, adding that some percentage not 100% of them are looking for information about leaving.

He added that some lesser percentage of those ultimately haven’t decided to leave yet, as witnessed by number of seats that aren’t filled but looking for information, because as “we’ve said before, they make assessments all the time based on the security situation and based on their individual situations inside Lebanon”, he said.
Report has it that there is no end to air attacks in Lebanon with the dead rising and the situation in the Middle East causing global concern.

Israel’s new bombings took place on Wednesday night (02.10.2024) to Thursday in Beirut, hitting among others a center of immediate aid organization associated with Hezbollah, resulting in at least six people being killed.

And all this after a day marked by land fighting in southern Lebanon, where eight Israeli soldiers were announced to be killed. One of the raids on Lebanon’s capital hit a “centre of civil protection” of Shia movement supported by Iran, Basura, in the heart of the city, said a source of the French Agency in Hezbolas.

A further account of the victims released by the Lebanese Ministry of Health mentions at least six dead and seven others injured. AFP reporters heard a strong explosion and felt buildings shaking, and saw ambulances rushing on the spot.
The Israeli army issued on Wednesday night to Thursday a new order to speed away civilians from areas of southern suburbs of Beirut, which is announced new bombings against members or facilities of the Shia movement Hezbollah, for a second consecutive night.

Since last October, more than 1,700 people have been killed in Lebanon, including over 100 children, 194 women and more than 346,000 people are confirmed to have been displaced from their homes. 

Government estimates put this number as high as one million. Another 128,000 people both Syrian and Lebanese – have crossed into Syria, also since October 8th, Hizbullah attacks on Israel have killed 49 people with over 60,000 people displaced from their homes.

On October 8, Hezbollah launched its largest-ever rocket attack on Haifa, firing over 100 rockets within 30 minutes. Although Israel’s Iron Dome intercepted many rockets, some made it through, causing damage in the suburbs.

Amid the bombardment, Hezbollah’s Deputy Leader Naim Qassem made a public statement asserting the group’s military strength despite recent IDF strikes.