Foreign countries continue to evacuate their nationals from Lebanon
Visit our website:
http://www.france24.com
Like us on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/FRANCE24.English
Follow us on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/France24_en
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00It's the country's only international airport, and after Israeli strikes nearby and sometimes
00:05even hitting runways, most airlines have suspended flights from the besieged capital.
00:11But Lebanon's national carrier, Middle East Airlines, has added extra flights to Istanbul,
00:15Paris and Doha for those hoping to flee the war.
00:19But tickets are expensive and in demand, especially for those hoping to leave immediately.
00:24You can find an affordable ticket starting from October 21st onwards, but for some destinations,
00:33the first available ticket is on October 28th, and others are in November."
00:37Meanwhile, many foreign governments have chartered planes and sent in military aircraft to evacuate
00:45their nationals.
00:47Another route out has been by sea.
00:49Just this week, a thousand Turkish passport holders have left this way.
00:53This Navy frigate was dispatched by Ankara.
00:56Some on board were just visiting Lebanon, while others are leaving behind lives and
01:00loved ones, as Israeli strikes have made it untenable to stay.
01:03For the last week or two, we can feel the bombs dropping around us continuously from
01:09inside our house.
01:10We can't sleep.
01:11We just sit and wait for morning.
01:12We can't sleep until the drones go away."
01:18While another way out has been by yacht, luxury boat hire companies have drawn criticism for
01:23cashing in on the crisis, charging passengers $1,500 and more for the six-hour crossing
01:28to Cyprus, a cost prohibitive for many.