Japan evacuates 16 people from conflict-hit Lebanon by SDF plane

An Air Self-Defense Force plane evacuated 16 people from Lebanon to neighboring Jordan on Friday amid the escalating conflict between Israel and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah, the Japanese government said.

The C-2 transport airplane was on standby in Jordan for an order from Defense Minister Gen Nakatani to evacuate Japanese citizens after departing from an ASDF base in the western Japan prefecture of Tottori on Thursday morning.

Eleven Japanese nationals were among the evacuees, along with a foreign-born family member and four French nationals, according to the Defense Ministry.

The Foreign Ministry said there were around 50 Japanese nationals in Lebanon when the Israeli-Hezbollah conflict escalated.

Two individuals have already left via a government-arranged charter vessel and arrived in Cyprus on Thursday.

Another C-2 transport aircraft that was also sent to Jordan from Tottori for a possible evacuation of Japanese nationals is scheduled to fly to Greece, a Defense Ministry official said.

The situation in Lebanon has worsened in recent days, with Israeli forces beginning limited ground operations against Hezbollah on Tuesday in their first ground invasion of Lebanon since 2006.

It followed Israeli airstrikes in Beirut that reportedly killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and a series of targeted explosions.

In retaliation, Iran launched ballistic missiles at Israel on Tuesday.

Last Friday, then Defense Minister Minoru Kihara ordered the ASDF to send the planes for a possible evacuation mission.

With the latest such mission, Japan has conducted operations to airlift its nationals from trouble spots overseas on a total of nine occasions, including twice from Israel following a surprise attack on the nation by the Palestinian militant group Hamas a year ago.

© KYODO