Türkiye evacuates 169 more citizens from Lebanon

ISTANBUL

A charter flight evacuated 169 more Turkish citizens from Lebanon on Oct. 17 as Israel's military continued its operations in the region, diplomatic sources have said.

Passengers were first flown to Mersin's Çukurova Airport in the country's south before being transferred to Istanbul.

The operation follows an earlier evacuation on Oct. 10, when 966 people, including 878 Turkish citizens and 24 Northern Cypriots, were flown out of Lebanon, along with their first-degree relatives.

A convoy of six ships, supported by naval escorts, departed from a Mersin port early on Oct. 9. The convoy carried 300 tons of humanitarian supplies, including food, hygiene kits, kitchenware, tents, beds and blankets.

In addition, Türkiye has previously facilitated the evacuation of 2,120 foreigners from Lebanon amid the escalating violence, sources from the Foreign Ministry reported on Oct. 16.

The evacuees, from 21 countries including the U.S., Russia, Japan and Palestine, were transported by air through Türkiye to their respective destinations, the sources told local media.