Japan to dispatch SDF planes to evacuate nationals in Lebanon
Source: – Kyodo News+
The Japanese government said Friday it will dispatch Self-Defense Forces airplanes to prepare for a possible evacuation of its citizens in Lebanon amid fears of the conflict between Israel and the Lebanese Shiite militant group Hezbollah escalating.
Upon the request of the Foreign Ministry, Defense Minister Minoru Kihara instructed the SDF to send transport aircraft to Jordan and Greece, where they will be placed on standby.
Earlier in the day, Kihara told a press conference that SDF planes, including C2 transport aircraft, were already on standby in Japan in case its citizens need to be evacuated from Israel, and added that the government will “appropriately deal with the situation” depending on how events unfold.
According to Japan’s Foreign Ministry, about 50 Japanese nationals are living or working in Lebanon.
Israeli air strikes in Lebanon targeting Hezbollah, Iran’s proxy, have intensified lately after the militant group began firing rockets into Israel in an unprovoked attack the day after the Oct. 7, 2023, surprise assault by the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas.
The United States and its allies have called for a 21-day cease-fire on the Israel-Lebanon border to prevent a further escalation of violence.
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The original article: – Kyodo News+ .
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