South Korea military aircraft evacuates 97 from Lebanon amid escalating tension

SEOUL — A South Korean military transport aircraft is evacuating 97 citizens and family members from Lebanon amid escalating tension and will return to South Korea on the afternoon of Oct 5, the country's foreign ministry said.

A KC-330 aircraft landed in Beirut on the morning of Oct 4 and departed in the afternoon with the evacuees, who include Lebanese family members, and will arrive at a military airfield on the south of the capital, Seoul, it said.

President Yoon Suk-yeol on Oct 2 ordered military aircraft to be deployed immediately to evacuate its citizens from parts of the Middle East affected by escalating tension in the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.

The government will take further actions to ensure the safety of its citizens, the foreign ministry said without elaborating.

South Korean diplomats stationed in Lebanon remained in the country, Yonhap news agency reported.

Blast heard, smoke seen over Beirut's southern suburbs, Reuters witnesses say