Australia starts evacuating nationals from Lebanon via Cyprus

By Miguel Pereira and Yiannis Kourtoglou

LARNACA, Cyprus (Reuters) - Australia started evacuating its nationals from Lebanon via Cyprus on Saturday, in the first large-scale operation to get citizens out of the country amid an Israeli onslaught on Iran-backed Hezbollah.

Some 229 people arrived on the east Mediterranean island, which lies a 40 minute flight time from Beirut, on a commercial airline chartered by Australia. A second flight is scheduled later in the day.

More evacuation flights could be expected based on demand, Australian and Cypriot officials said.

At Cyprus's Larnaca airport, civilians of all ages transferred from the aircraft into a terminal and then escorted onto waiting coaches. Children helped themselves to red apples and water provided by Australian military staff.

"They are exhausted, exceptionally happy to be here but heartbroken because they left family behind," said Fiona McKergow, the Australian High Commissioner (Ambassador) to Cyprus.

More and more countries are using close hubs like Cyprus to assist in evacuations from Lebanon. Israel has sharply escalated attacks on Hezbollah in recent weeks, with a barrage of airstrikes and a ground operation in the south of the country, after nearly a year of lower-level cross-border conflict waged in parallel with Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza.

In the past week, Cyprus assisted evacuations by China, Greece, Portugal and Slovakia. Britain and the United States have also moved personnel to Cyprus to assist in military evacuations, if necessary.

Cyprus had been used to evacuate close to 60,000 people from Lebanon in the last serious escalation of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah in 2006.

Some of those evacuated on Saturday said they did not think they would ever return to Lebanon.

"Never, ever. I was traumatised, my kids were traumatised. Its not a safe country, I wont be back," said Dana Hameh, 34.

She added: "I feel very sad leaving my country but I'm very happy to start a new life in Sydney. Life goes on. I wish the best for everyone."

(Additional reporting, writing by Michele Kambas; editing by Mike Harrison)