Preparations for the phased evacuation by air of Bulgarian citizens who have expressed a desire to leave Lebanon are beginning, the Bulgarian government information service said on September 29.
In parallel, the possibilities for other evacuation options are being considered, according to a statement issued after caretaker Prime Minister Dimitar Glavchev held an emergency meeting with representatives of the foreign ministry, transport ministry, secretariat of the security council and security and intelligence services.
The meeting was held against the background of the continuing conflict in Lebanon between Israel and terrorist group Hezbollah.
At the moment, the Bulgarian citizens wanting evacuation from Lebanon have been identified, the statement said.
They will be notified of the precise time and place of the evacuation directly through Bulgaria’s embassy in Beirut, in coordination with the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry’s situation centre.
Priority will be given in this process to families with children and vulnerable groups.
“It is necessary to act quickly, but the leading thing is the safety of the Bulgarian citizens – both those who wish to evacuate and the teams that will carry out the evacuation, Glavchev said.
The statement said that Deputy Foreign Minister Elena Shekerletova reported information provided to her by the Bulgarian embassy in Beirut regarding the dynamically changing situation in Lebanon.
As The Sofia Globe reported earlier, on September 29 Bulgaria’s Foreign Ministry reiterated its advice to the country’s citizens that they should not travel to or be in Israel unless in cases of urgency.
This followed similar advisories by the ministry regarding Lebanon and Iran.
The European Commission and European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) have decided to issue CZIBs (Conflict Zone Information Bulletins) recommending to airlines not to operate within the air spaces of Lebanon and Israel at all flight levels, EASA said on September 28.
