More than 100 Iranians, including diplomats, left Beirut overnight on a Russian plane following new Lebanese restrictions on Iran’s Revolutionary Guard.
BEIRUT: More than 100 Iranians, including diplomats and embassy staff, were evacuated from Beirut overnight on a Russian plane.
A Lebanese official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP that a total of 117 people were on the flight which left between Saturday and Sunday.
The evacuation follows Lebanon’s decision on Thursday to ban any activity by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps and impose a visa requirement on Iranians entering the country.
The official stated that the Iranian embassy had informed Lebanese authorities of the evacuation operation beforehand, which was conducted via Beirut’s international airport.
The body of an Iranian diplomat killed this week, along with those of his wife and three children, were also repatriated on the same flight.
The airport, located near Hezbollah’s southern Beirut stronghold which has faced Israeli air strikes, remains operational with Middle East Airlines running significant flights.
Hezbollah, a main backer of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, drew Lebanon into the regional conflict by launching strikes against Israel on Monday.
An Israeli strike overnight Saturday into Sunday targeted a seafront hotel in central Beirut, marking the first such attack on the heart of the capital since the war began.
The Israeli army said it had carried out a precise strike against key commanders of Iran’s Quds Force in Lebanon, with the Lebanese health ministry reporting four killed and 10 wounded.
