4 Indian Ships Headed For Lebanon To Evacuate Citizens
Jacob Cherian - All Headline News Staff Writer New Delhi, India (AHN) - The Government of India has sent four naval ships to Lebanon. They are on their way to evacuate Indians from the country, where the militant group Hezbollah is under fire from Israel. The ships are expected to arrive within the vicinity of the Lebanon coast on Wednesday. If the situation deteriorates any further, the Government is in touch with Tel Aviv to ensure safe passage for Indian citizens. The ships previously mentioned are on the way back to India from Turkey and Libya. They were passing through the Suez Canal when they were requested to head for Beirut as part of an emergency plan. Sri Lanka has also asked for assistance from India to evacuate its citizens and officials say that the request is being considered. Since the Beirut airport is no longer functional, 49 Indians were sent to Syria on two buses, Monday. According to reports they arrived safely in Damascus. An estimated 12,000 Indians are believed to currently be in Lebanon. Most of them are stationed in the countryside where Israeli planes are searching suspected Hezbollah hideouts. The Indian ships are to join those from the U.S., France, United Kingdom, and Italy. The U.K has an aircraft carrier group in the location and France is using naval auto carriers for mass evacuation. Since the Indian ships have a low carrying capacity, the External Affairs Mi |
