Türkiye brings home evacuees from Lebanon

MERSIN

The first amphibious warfare ship of the Turkish Naval Forces, carrying civilians evacuated from Lebanon, arrived at Türkiye's southern port of Mersin on Thursday.

The TCG Bayraktar departed from Beirut, where the evacuation took place, and docked at the port of Mersin, bringing 588 evacuees who will disembark after procedures are completed.

The second ship, TCG Sancaktar, is also on its way to Mersin, expected to arrive shortly with an additional 378 civilians onboard.

Deputy Foreign Minister Burhanettin Duran, Mersin Governor Ali Hamza Pehlivan, and other officials welcomed those disembarking from the first ship. At the welcome ceremony, Duran expressed immense satisfaction in safely bringing back the civilians after their arduous journey.

"These two ships also delivered nearly 300 tons of humanitarian aid to Beirut. We continue to process evacuation requests received through our consulate's call center," Duran stated.

"If necessary, we are prepared to organize additional evacuations based on future applications," he added.

According to the Turkish Foreign Ministry, about 1,900 Turkish citizens expressed their desire to leave Lebanon. A total of 966 people, including 878 Turkish citizens and 24 from the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), were evacuated by the Turkish ships.

Officials debunked claims that foreign citizens were prioritized over Turkish citizens for boarding.

The TCG Bayraktar and TCG Sancaktar delivered 300 tons of humanitarian aid to Beirut, an initiative led by the Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD). After offloading the aid, the ships returned to Türkiye, escorted by two frigates and two patrol ships.

Meanwhile, Israel has been launching extensive airstrikes across Lebanon against what it identifies as Hezbollah targets since Sept. 23, resulting in at least 1,323 deaths, over 3,700 injuries, and displacing more than 1.2 million people.

This aerial campaign marks an escalation in the ongoing year-long conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, following Tel Aviv’s intense offensive on the Gaza Strip. The conflict began after a cross-border attack by Hamas on Oct. 7 of the previous year, leading to over 42,000 deaths, predominantly among women and children.