How Canada and other countries are planning Lebanon evacuations

Western nations are updating contingency plans for organizing evacuations from Lebanon after a sharp escalation in border warfare between Israel and the Lebanese armed movement Hezbollah.

Cyprus, the closest European Union member state to the Middle East, is a likely hub, having processed around 60,000 people fleeing the Hezbollah-Israel war in 2006.

Neighbouring Turkey has offered facilities as well.

No country has activated a large-scale military evacuation yet, though some are chartering aircraft to assist in their nationals leaving as Beirut airport remains open. There have also been plans to evacuate by sea to Cyprus, enabling the movement of larger groups of people at a time.

Here are details on contingency planning:

Authorities have made contingency plans that could include evacuation by sea, though it has urged an estimated 15,000 of its citizens in Lebanon to leave while Beirut airport remains open.

News reports from Canada suggest it will cooperate with Australia in evacuating nationals by sea. The plan involves contracting a commercial vessel to transport 1,000 people out each day.

The Canadian government on Friday began coordinating commercially assisted departures for Canadians looking to get out of Lebanon, Global News has learned.

Global Affairs Canada is reserving blocks of seats on commercial flights for Canadian citizens as it becomes increasingly difficult to book seats independently, sources in two government departments said.

France, which has been urging citizens not to travel to Lebanon, has had evacuation plans in place for several months but has not issued an evacuation order. Present contingency plans centre around Cyprus and Beirut airport, while it is also discussing evacuations via Turkey. France has a warship in the region, while a French helicopter carrier will arrive in the eastern Mediterranean in the coming days and take up position in case a decision is taken to evacuate foreign nationals from Lebanon, a French army spokesperson said on Tuesday.

Germany has evacuated non-essential staff, families of embassy workers and German nationals who are medically vulnerable out of Lebanon and will support others trying to leave, a joint statement by the foreign and defence ministries said on Monday. Germans in the region can leave the country on commercial flights via airports that are still open, a spokesperson for the German foreign ministry said on Monday.

The Greek foreign ministry has urged its citizens to leave Lebanon and avoid any travel to the country. A frigate is on standby in case assistance is needed.

Britain has called for its nationals to leave immediately. It has moved around 700 troops to Cyprus, bolstering its presence in the area where it already has military assets, including two Royal Navy ships. It also has two military bases on the island. The British government has chartered a flight to help meet any additional demand from Britons wishing to leave on Wednesday, and will fly directly back to London.

Italy has reduced unnecessary diplomatic staff and beefed up security personnel at its embassy in Beirut, a source told Reuters. Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani has repeatedly urged nationals to leave the country and sought assurances from Israel over the safety of Italian soldiers operating in peacekeeping operations in the area.

The U.S. has ordered the deployment of dozens of troops to Cyprus to help prepare for scenarios, including an evacuation of Americans from Lebanon.

Prime Minister Luis Montenegro has advised against travel to Lebanon. The country assisted in the evacuation of a small number of Portuguese citizens living there.

(Reporting by Reuters bureau, writing by Michele Kambas, editing by Andrew Cawthorne, Sharon Singleton, Toby Chopra and Ed Osmond)

—With files from Global News