A total of 117 (although some sources say the number is higher) Iranians, including diplomats and embassy employees, were evacuated by a Russian plane that flew from Beirut on the night from Saturday to Sunday, an anonymous representative of the Lebanese authorities told AFP. He did not reveal the purpose of the plane's journey. However, he added that the body of an Iranian diplomat killed during the war was also transported on the same flight, along with the bodies of his wife and three children. So far, 394 people have been killed in the week-long conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Why did a Russian plane evacuate Iranians?
How many Iranians were on board the plane?
What happened in Beirut before the evacuation?
Who were the evacuated Iranians?
Conflict in the Middle East. 394 war casualties in Lebanon
The official told AFP that the Iranian embassy had previously informed Lebanese authorities about the evacuation operation, which was carried out through Beirut International Airport.
The Lebanese government on Thursday banned the activities of the Iranian army (IRGC) and introduced a visa requirement for Iranians entering the country, which is intended to hamper support from the pro-Iranian Hezbollah. The Lebanese organization, sponsored by Iran and supervised by Iranian officers from the IRGC, was drawn into the war with Israel on Monday.
Early Sunday morning, the Israeli army carried out an airstrike on a hotel on the coast of Beirut. The military says the attack targeted key Quds Force commanders in the Lebanese capital. Al-Quds is an elite IRGC unit specializing in foreign operations and supporting the Iranian “axis of resistance”, which includes, among others, Hezbollah and Shiite militias in Syria and Iraq.
The Ministry of Health in Beirut announced on Sunday that 394 people, including 83 children, have been killed so far in the week-long conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon. The Israeli offensive began last week after Hezbollah fired rockets into northern Israel in the first days of U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran.
