315 evacuees from Lebanon arrive in Türkiye amid Israeli airstrikes

By Murat Pancar

MERSIN, Türkiye (AA) - A total of 315 people evacuated from Lebanon due to Israel's ongoing attacks arrived in Türkiye’s southern province of Mersin on Tuesday.

The ship Med Star, which departed from the port of Tripoli in Lebanon, brought the evacuees, most of whom are European citizens, to the Tasucu Port in the Silifke district, according to the shipping company.

After undergoing necessary procedures, the evacuees will be flown to their home countries from various airports in Türkiye.

Since Sept. 23, Israel has launched massive airstrikes against what it calls Hezbollah targets across Lebanon, killing more than 1,057 people and injuring over 2,950 others, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.

Several Hezbollah leaders have been killed in the assault, including its leader Hassan Nasrallah.

Hezbollah and Israel have been engaged in cross-border warfare since the start of Israel's war on Gaza, which has killed nearly 41,600 people, most of them women and children, following a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas last October.

The international community has warned that Israeli attacks in Lebanon could escalate the Gaza conflict into a wider regional war.

*Writing by Serdar Dincel