169 Turkish citizens arrive in Türkiye from embattled Lebanon

ANKARA

A charter flight carrying 169 Turkish citizens freshly evacuated from embattled Lebanon landed at Istanbul Airport on Thursday.

The flight arrived after a stopover at Cukurova Airport in Adana, southern Türkiye, where 110 passengers disembarked after completing necessary procedures.

Upon arriving in Istanbul, the remaining 69 passengers told reporters of their happiness and relief to return to Türkiye.

After passport processing, they collected their luggage and left the airport.

Türkiye arranged for the evacuation of Turkish nationals using this charter flight, which departed Beirut at 9 am (0600GMT), as part of ongoing efforts to ensure the safety of its citizens amid continuing Israeli attacks,.

Turkish Navy ships previously evacuated nearly 1,000 people from war-hit Lebanon, including 878 Turkish citizens and 24 from the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.

Since Sept. 23, Israel has launched deadly strikes across Lebanon against what they say are Hezbollah targets, killing more than 1,500 people and injuring over 4,500 others.