Foreign Ministry urges Indonesians in Lebanon to evacuate

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Indonesian Foreign Affairs Ministry and the Indonesian Embassy in Beirut have held an online meeting with Indonesian citizens in Lebanon to encourage them to evacuate.

The ministry's Director of Protection of Indonesian Citizens and Legal Entities, Judha Nugraha, stated on Tuesday that the meeting took place on Monday (September 30) and also focused on learning about the latest security situation in Lebanon.

According to Nugraha, several Indonesians in Lebanon preferred to stay in the country as their areas were considered safe.

He remarked that 159 Indonesians had reported themselves to the Indonesian Embassy in Beirut, compared to the previous 155 people.

"The number of Indonesian citizens in Lebanon is 159 people, not including Indonesian Embassy staff and Indonesian Defense Forces (TNI) personnel in UNIFIL," he confirmed.

Apart from registered Indonesian citizens, Indonesia has around 1,200 TNI troops stationed in Lebanon as members of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).

On Thursday (September 26), the ministry stated that the TNI troops in UNIFIL were ready to assist the evacuation process of Indonesian citizens in Lebanon.

If the evacuation of Indonesian citizens takes place with the assistance of TNI troops in UNIFIL, the process will be carried out through coordination with the UNIFIL troop commander.

The ministry has also issued a travel recommendation for Indonesian citizens to postpone travel plans to Lebanon and Israel.

The Indonesian Embassy in Beirut has set Alert 1 status for Indonesian citizens throughout Lebanon.

Since the determination of Alert 1 in August, the Indonesian Embassy in Beirut has facilitated the return of 25 Indonesian citizens from Lebanon to Indonesia.

Israel has been attacking Lebanon through airstrikes since September 23. According to Lebanese authorities, the attacks have killed more than 960 people and injured more than 2,770 others.