The Belgian Defence Ministry is prepared to repatriate citizens from Lebanon, outgoing Defence Minister Ludivine Dedonder announced on Wednesday.
The Council of Ministers is considering “various options” to assist the approximately 1,800 Belgians currently in Lebanon. Some of them have expressed a desire to return to Belgium, but tickets for commercial flights are scarcely available.
The Netherlands has already decided to repatriate its nationals using its defence forces.
The Belgian Defence Ministry is also ready to initiate a “non-combatant evacuation operation” in Lebanon, Ms. Dedonder said at the start of a meeting of the Council of Ministers.
If the government approves, the Defence Ministry “can swiftly and safely repatriate Belgians and other eligible persons,” she noted in a press release. Preparations would involve deploying a small detachment of soldiers to Cyprus first.
“In light of the deteriorating security situation in the region around Lebanon, I asked the Defence Ministry several weeks ago to anticipate a possible evacuation of our citizens,” the Defence Minister said.
She mentioned that, in the event of an evacuation, the military would collaborate with other European and Western partners.
Ms. Dedonder also urged Belgians in Lebanon to closely follow local authorities’ instructions.
