Seoul, Oct 6 (FN Bureau) South Korea has evacuated 97 nationals and their family members from Lebanon via a military aircraft within the first such operation amid the escalation of regional tensions, the South Korean Foreign Ministry said on Saturday. “The KC-330 military transport aircraft, which is helping to return 97 South Korean citizens and their family members from Lebanon, landed at Seoul Airport on Saturday at 12:50 [3:50 GMT],” the ministry said in a statement. There were 96 South Korean citizens on board and one family member of a South Korean who is a Lebanese citizen, the officials said in a statement.
“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 statement read. On Wednesday, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol ordered the immediate dispatch of a military transport aircraft to return the country’s citizens home. As of Wednesday, there were about 130 South Korean citizens in Lebanon, not including diplomats and their family members.
There also were 110 South Koreans in Iran and 480 in Israel, the ministry said. On October 1, Israel announced the start of a “limited” military ground operation in southern Lebanon, reportedly with no plans to permanently occupy any areas of the country. Since last week, the Israeli Air Force has been carrying out massive strikes against Lebanese Shia movement Hezbollah targets in various parts of the neighboring state. Several targeted airstrikes on Beirut have also been made, killing high-ranking Hezbollah commanders. Hezbollah has responded with missile launches, primarily targeting northern Israel, but the range of the attacks has increased significantly in recent days.