Gov't: Defence Ministry to Manage Evacuation of Slovaks from Lebanon

Bratislava/Beirut, October 2 (TASR) - The Defence Ministry should deal with the evacuation of Slovaks from Lebanon in light of the security situation in the Middle East region, which is increasingly unpredictable, according to a proposal approved by the government at its session on Wednesday. At the same time, the government okayed sending up to 30 soldiers to Lebanon to help with the evacuation. "Clashes between the Israeli army and the Hezbollah movement and Israel's plans, which include a limited operation in Lebanon, pose an increased risk to the the security of Slovak citizens living in Lebanon," said the ministry, which plans to deploy one C27J Spartan transport aircraft with capacity to carry 45 people. The evacuation will take place in two stages. "During the first stage Slovak citizens will be evacuated to Cyprus by the necessary number of flights. In the second stage they'll be transported to Slovak territory," explained the Defence Ministry, adding that available capacities will also be used to evacuate citizens of other countries in case of need. ko/df