New Delhi: Joining the surge of foreigners fleeing war-torn Lebanon, thousands of Indians living in that country on Wednesday gathered at Beirut jetty as four Indian warships sailed into the harbour to evacuate them to safety.
Over 1,000 Indians assembled at the jetty as Israeli operations against Hezbollah militia intensified in Lebanon. The warships - INS Mumbai , INS Betwa, INS Brahmaputra and auxillary tanker INS Shakti - which had anchored overnight off the Lebanese coast, moved into the port to pull out the anxious Indian nationals and shift them to camps in Larnaca in Cyprus, Navy sources said.
"The Israelis, who have mounted a sea and air blockade off the Lebanese capital, have allowed the Indian warships to berth at the jetty to evacuate the stranded Indians," they said.
With tens of thousands of foreigners and Lebanese nationals escaping the war zone, the Beirut jetty, according to messages received from the Naval warships, was teeming with people.
The Israelis are allowing rescue ships from a number of countries to berth in turns. "We are likely to get our turn any time," the messages said.
Navy officers said Indian warships like those from European countries and the US, would commence a 'shuttle service' between Beirut and Larnaca, which is an approximately eight-hour journey by ship.
"The fleet commander Rear Admiral Anup Singh is in constant touch with Indian ambassador to Lebanon, Nengcha Lhouvum, to coordiate evacuation of stranded Indian nationals," they said.
Besides pulling out the Indians, the Navy warships might also evacuate over 100,000 Sri Lankan and Nepalese nationals from the embattled country, officials said.
Sri Lankan and Nepalese authorities have made a special request for this, officials said, pointing out that in the first ferry 500 nationals from these countries could also be evacuated.
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