Dutch gov’t evacuates first group of citizens from Lebanon

THE HAGUE, Oct. 4 (Xinhua) — The first evacuation flight from Lebanon organized by the Dutch government landed in the southeastern city of Eindhoven around 9 p.m. local time (1900 GMT) on Friday.
Onboard the military Airbus A330 were 185 passengers in total, including over 100 Dutch nationals and citizens from Belgium, Finland, and Ireland.
A second Dutch evacuation flight is scheduled to depart from Lebanon on Saturday, though it remains unclear if a third repatriation flight will follow.
The Dutch Foreign Ministry said earlier this week that several hundred Dutch citizens would be evacuated, warning that the security situation in Lebanon had become increasingly uncertain.
The Dutch government has committed to continuing its efforts to assist those wishing to return to the Netherlands from Lebanon, through military and commercial flights, as well as by cooperating with repatriation flights organized by other countries. ■