Evacuation operation from Lebanon: First Naval Forces ship reaches Mersin

Under the coordination of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of National Defense, two Naval Forces ships were dispatched to Lebanon yesterday upon the instructions of AKP Chairman and President Erdoğan to evacuate citizens wishing to leave Lebanon following Israel's attacks.

The Naval Forces Command's amphibious ships, TCG Sancaktar and TCG Bayraktar, also delivered 300 tons of humanitarian aid to the region. Subsequently, Turkish citizens who requested evacuation were taken aboard the ship after undergoing necessary checks at the Port of Beirut.

The first of the ships to set sail, TCG Bayraktar, arrived at the Port of Mersin with 558 passengers. While the evacuation of passengers from the ship has begun, it was reported that the other ship, TCG Sancaktar, will reach the port in the coming hours with 378 passengers.

It was stated that a total of 966 passengers will have been evacuated with the two ships, consisting of 878 Turkish citizens, 24 citizens of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), and 64 people who are first-degree relatives of these two groups.

News Source: 12punto