Belgians in Lebanon can no longer leave the country. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is asking Belgian citizens who are still in the country – some 1,800 according to the latest estimates – to leave using commercial flights or possibly commercial sea links. But for air travel, there are no longer any tickets available.
"We are still advising Belgian nationals to register on Travellers Online or at the embassy in Beirut, and to leave Lebanon as quickly as possible. This is still possible with commercial flights, Middle Eastern Airways is still offering flights", the Ministry of Foreign Affairs told Belga News Agency on Tuesday.
However, on Tuesday afternoon it appeared that there were no more tickets available for these flights. A number of countries have organised the evacuation of their citizens living in Lebanon.
A French Navy vessel set sail on Monday to position itself off the coast of Lebanon in case French nationals needed to be evacuated. Germany sent a military aircraft to Beirut on Monday to evacuate employees of the German embassy in Lebanon and their families. Employees of other German organisations, along with their families, and nationals threatened for medical reasons are also to be repatriated, the government said.
The UK announced on Monday evening that it had chartered a commercial flight for its nationals wishing to evacuate Lebanon. The flight will depart from Beirut's Rafic Hariri International Airport on Wednesday. Canada announced on Monday that it had reserved 800 seats on commercial flights to help its nationals leave Lebanon. Around 45,000 Canadians are in Lebanon and the next flight is scheduled for Tuesday.
Belgian government sources said on Tuesday afternoon that Belgium was in contact with other European countries and was preparing for all scenarios. Another source pointed out that the Belgian Defence is ready to deploy resources very quickly, but for the moment no political decision has been taken. The current government has not yet called a meeting on the subject.
