Two Air and Space Force planes take off this Thursday for Beirut to evacuate some 380 Spaniards residing in Lebanon who expressed their desire to come to Spain. As LaSexta was able to confirm, The first has already landed in Beirut of two Air Force planes to evacuate the fifty Spanish citizens who want to leave Lebanon. This is an A300 which took off from Djibouti. The second plane is expected to arrive in Lebanon at 11:30 a.m. Spanish time (an A400 which took off from Zaragoza air base).
Its objective is to respect the plan for the evacuation of Spaniards in Lebanon designed by the Ministries of Defense and Foreign Affairs in the face of the worsening conflict in the Middle East. To these first two planes it is possible that a third will be added and even a fourth in the coming hours, as Defense Minister Margarita Robles announced this Wednesday in several interviews.
Although at the beginning the minister spoke of two planes, she later clarified that “even” there could be three that would leave Spain this Thursday bound for Beirut, the Lebanese capital, and indicated that “if necessary” they could be sent. “Another plane” the next day to evacuate citizens of other countries who had requested Spain to be evacuated.
Regarding the number of people who would be evacuated, Robles said that initially there was talk of 350 or 380, but “It looks like more Spaniards could sign up as well as nationals of other countries who do not have the possibility of evacuation and who have requested help from Spain. Among the Spaniards who must leave Lebanon aboard these first military planes are the five workers of the Cervantes Institute in Beirut: the director of the center, the academic coordinator, a teacher, an administrative assistant and an administrative assistant.
“The planes are prepared, the crews are prepared and, as always, with the maximum professionalism with which the army does it and as the armed forces always do,” Robles said in statements to Antena3 television. Regarding the 650 Spanish soldiers deployed in Lebanon, the minister declared that Spain will engage in the peace mission up to the United Nations, “If necessary, make the decision you deem appropriate”.
“For now, they will continue there while “The United Nations does not make evacuation decisions”declared the minister, who sent a message of tranquility to families. Robles made it clear that the Spanish contingent, with whom he speaks almost daily, is “very firm” in its positions. “Every day they give us a message of encouragement and morale and thus give us an example of heroism,” he said.
He also underlined the important mediation work that they carry out with the Lebanese army and with the populations of the area, even if for security reasons they remain in the bunkers part of the day and patrols are limited.
