SEOUL, Oct 5 (Bernama-Yonhap) -- A South Korean military aircraft was bringing 96 nationals home from Lebanon, the foreign ministry said Saturday, in its first evacuation operation amid escalating tensions in the region.
The KC-330 military transport plane departed from Beirut on Friday afternoon (local time) and is expected to land at Seoul Air Base in Seongnam, just south of Seoul, later in the day, Yonhap news agency reported, citing the ministry said.
One Lebanese national, a family member of a South Korean citizen, is also on board, officials said.
The evacuation plan was implemented as hostilities between Israel and the Hezbollah continue to escalate, making it increasingly difficult for foreign nationals in the Middle East to leave on commercial flights.
"Our government will continue to closely monitor the situation in Lebanon and the Middle East to ensure the safety of our citizens. We will take all necessary measures to protect them," the ministry said in a press release.
On Wednesday, President Yoon Suk Yeol ordered the immediate dispatch of military transport aircraft to bring South Korean citizens home.
As of Wednesday, approximately 130 South Korean nationals were in Lebanon, excluding diplomats and their families, a ministry official said on the condition of anonymity.
There were around 110 nationals in Iran and another 480 in Israel, the ministry said.
More foreign countries continue to explore ways to protect their citizens, with some governments having chartered flights, while others issue warnings and offer assistance.
Israel launched another series of airstrikes on Friday, hitting suburban Beirut and cutting off the main border crossing between Lebanon and Syria, affecting tens of thousands of people fleeing the Israeli bombardment.
-- BERNAMA-YONHAP
