Australians Urged to Leave Lebanon as Empty Seats Spotted on Evacuation Flights

A man walks on rubble at the site of an overnight Israeli airstrike in Beirut, Lebanon, on Oct. 1, 2024. Anwar Amro/AFP via Getty Images

Australians living in Lebanon have again been urged to leave the country, as many had not boarded evacuation flights despite the escalating conflict.

On Oct. 4, Foreign Affairs Assistant Minister Tim Watts issued a fresh warning for Australians hesitant to leave, noting there were less commercial flights available.

“We’ve been pleading with Australians in Lebanon to leave for quite some time now, and we’re becoming more direct in those representations,” he told ABC TV.

Watts stated that it was understandable why some Australians had not evacuated, saying they still had family, businesses, and properties there.

However, the assistant minister stressed it was time to make the decision.

“As someone that represents a big Lebanese-Australian community, I do have some empathy,” he said.

“This is a heart-wrenching decision to leave, but our advice is, don’t think twice about it. Now is the time to leave.”

Watts’s remarks come as evacuation flights for Australians reported plenty of empty seats.

On Oct. 3, only 41 people boarded a flight departing from Lebanon, filling up half of the seats allocated for Australians.

Similarly, 238 Australians have registered for the evacuation offer via two flights going to Cyprus on Oct. 5, with 500 seats still being available.

Escalating Conflict

At present, the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah has escalated to a new level.

Israel has launched ground operations into Lebanon to push terrorist group Hezbollah further north, following a series of airstrikes that resulted in the death of Hezbollah Leader Hassan Nasrallah on Sept. 28.

Eight Israeli soldiers were reported dead during ground operations on Oct. 2.

Amid the tension, other countries have ramped up evacuation efforts to bring their citizens out of Lebanon.

The U.S. government has organised flights this week to evacuate 250 U.S. citizens along with their family members.

The German and British governments have also charted similar flights between Sept. 30 and Oct. 2.

Assistant Minister Reminds Oct. 7 Protesters to Be Considerate

Regarding the Oct. 7 protests to take place around Australia, Watts said the federal government would not intervene, saying it was a matter for state governments and state police forces.

However, the assistant minister reminded people attending the protests to consider the trauma brought on by the Oct. 7 attack.

“What I would say as an Australian political leader is that I see so much trauma in our community at the moment on all sides.

“There’s plenty to disagree about in this conflict. And in good faith, we can disagree, and in good faith, we can protest at times.

“But I just implore Australians, when you’re exercising those rights as Australian citizens, consider your fellow Australian citizens, consider the trauma they’re experiencing.”