Western countries are preparing for the possible evacuation of their citizens from Lebanon in the event of war, reports Reuters.

On September 27 at 08:25, explosions occurred in southern Lebanon. Cyprus and Türkiye are seen as potential countries for providing asylum to tens of thousands of people. Cyprus, located approximately 264 km from Lebanon, has played a significant role in assisting the Gaza Strip and coordinating evacuations from Lebanon in the past.

In 2006, more than 60 thousand people who fled the war between Hezbollah and Israel were accepted into Cyprus. President Nikos Christodoulides stressed that Cyprus is ready to help again if necessary. Thousands of citizens of the United States, France, Great Britain and Germany live and travel in Lebanon. Western countries are also preparing for a possible evacuation with Turkey if Lebanese airports become unavailable.

So far there has been no evacuation order, but the situation could change if Israel concentrates its troops on the border with Lebanon. On September 23, the Israeli operation against the terrorist group Hezbollah began. Israel carried out about 1,600 strikes on Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon, the largest operation since the Second Lebanon War.