With the situation in Lebanon becoming increasingly dangerous, about 100 Indians have been evacuated out of the country and over 1,000 others gathered on Wednesday at Beirut jetty to be moved out by four Indian warships which sailed into the harbour.
Besides preparing to evacuate all its willing nationals, India will also be shifting out Sri Lankans and Nepalese on request from these countries.
There are an estimated 1,00,000 Sri Lankans and Nepelese nationals in Lebanon.
Of the estimated 12,000 Indians living in Lebanon, at least 100 people have reached Damascus by road, facilitated by the Indian Embassy in Beirut, External Affairs Ministry spokesman Navtej Sarna told reporters in New Delhi.
"It is an evolving situation. Hostilities are taking place and naturally it is a dangerous place," he said.
An advisory has been issued for all the Indians living in Lebanon asking them to be ready to leave.
The government is facilitating evacuation of those who want to move out, he pointed out.
On the issue of others who may not prefer to leave Lebanon, Sarna said it depends on the perception of different people of the situation.
Over 1,000 Indians assembled at the jetty as four Indian warships -- INS Mumbai, INS Betwa, INS Brahmaputra and auxillary tanker INS Shakti, anchored overnight off the Lebanese coast, moved into the port to pull out the anxious Indian nationals and shift them to camps in Larnaca in Cyprus, navy sources said in New Delhi.
"The Israelis, who have mounted a sea and air blockade of the Lebanese capital, have allowed the Indian warships to berth at the jetty to evacuate the stranded Indians," they said.
With tens of thousands of foreigners and Lebanese nationals escaping the war zone, the Beirut jetty, according to messages received from the naval warships, was teeming with people.
The Israelis are allowing rescue ships from a number of countries to berth in turns.
"We are likely to get our turn anytime," the messages said.
Sarna said the government was in touch through diplomatic channels with both Israel and Lebanon to seek access to the coast.
The four ships have a total capacity of 1,000 people. If the number of people requesting evacuation is about 900 or so, the ships will bring them directly to India, he said.
However, if their number is more, the warships will ferry them to Larnaca or Damascus from where they can be airlifted.
Governments of Sri Lanka and Nepal have requested India to evacuate their nationals and this will be done depending on the space available on the ships, the MEA spokesman said.
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