Turkey Sends Two Warships to Evacuate Citizens From Lebanon

As the conflict between terrorist group Hezbollah and the Israeli military heats up, the government of Turkey has dispatched two amphibs to evacuate Turkish citizens from Lebanon, adding to the flow of refugees who are escaping the escalating fighting near the Israeli border. 

Turkey's foreign ministry said Tuesday that the two vessels have departed Mersin for Lebanon and will arrive Wednesday. The ships will have enough space to evacuate up to 2,000 Turkish citizens who have filed an application to leave with government assistance. On the outbound voyage, the warships are carrying cargoes of humanitarian aid, the ministry said. 

According to Reuters, the vessels will likely depart at or near capacity, as about 2,500 people have applied to board and about 2,000 are eligible. A previous wave of refugees arrived in Mersin on October 4 aboard three commercial ferries. The evacuees included foreign nationals from many countries, including EU nations. Additional evacuation voyages may follow if needed.

The Turkish Navy vessels have been identified as the tank landing ships TCG Bayraktar and TCG Sancaktar. These ships were commissioned in 2017-18, and are designed to carry about 500 troops and four landing craft in their primary amphibious-assault role. Though some foreign media outlets have amplified a narrative of Turkish military intervention in the conflict, the two vessels are lightly armed with defensive weapons and appear to be unescorted. 

The Turkish mission will use the port of Beirut to offload cargo and take on passengers on Wednesday. A voyage any further to the south could require Israeli permission: On Tuesday, Israel's navy announced that it is imposing a blockade of all Lebanese waters south of the Awali River as part of the ongoing invasion of southern Lebanon. The river's mouth is just 20 nautical miles south of the port of Beirut.