A total 178 Italian citizens arrived at Rome's Fiumicino airport from Lebanon overnight aboard the first charter flight organised by the Italian government, the foreign ministry stated Friday as Israel's two-week-old war against Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah continues to rage.
“We have invited all Italians to leave Lebanon on commercial flights, and we are committed to increasing their number through charter flights,” said foreign minister Antonio Tajani.
The government has been working with airlines to solve the problem posed by "saturation" of scheduled flights, Tajani said.
"We continue to monitor the situation of Italians in Lebanon through our embassy in Beirut and the foreign ministry's crisis unit,“ he said.
"We are ready to take whatever initiatives are needed to ensure the safety of our compatriots, but we presently rule out the possibility of an evacuation," said Tajani.
Further charter flights will be organized in the coming days, the statement said, inviting Italian citizens who have difficulty booking a seat on a commercial flight from Beirut can contact dedicated numbers at the Italian Embassy in Beirut and the foreign ministry's crisis unit.
There are over 3,000 Italians in Lebanon, many with dual citizenship, according to the foreign ministry. Some 1.2 million people have had to flee their homes in Lebanon since Israel's two-week old air strikes and more recent ground incursion in the south, according to prime minister Najib Mikati.
