BRUSSELS, Belgium, Oct 11, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - More than 100 Europeans were
evacuated from Lebanon on a Belgian military plane on Thursday evening, most
of them from Belgium, the Netherlands and France, the government in Brussels
said.

The aircraft, which landed at Melsbroek military base near the Belgian
capital was carrying "58 Belgians and dependents, 41 Dutch citizens, 11 from
France and one from Luxembourg, a foreign ministry spokesman told AFP on
Friday.

Over the past week nearly 150 of the 1,800 or so Belgians living in Lebanon
have benefited from assistance to return to Belgium, he said.

A first group left last week on two flights arranged by the Netherlands.

It included two Belgian journalists who were attacked and injured in Beirut
while covering an Israeli bombardment of the city on the night of October 2
to 3.

"All the Belgians who wanted to leave have been able to do so. We are
continuing to assess the situation," the spokesman said.

Israeli ground forces invaded Lebanon on September 30, saying they were
aiming to stop cross-border fire from Hezbollah in support of Palestinian
militant group Hamas, which attacked Israel on October 7, sparking a
devastating ongoing war in Gaza.