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Cyprus on standby to help evacuations from Middle East

Cyprus has actually completely triggered a. mechanism to permit thirdcountry nationals evacuating the Middle. East safe passage through the island as the crisis in the area. worsens, government officials said on Wednesday.

One nation has sought Cyprus's assistance for the. evacuation of civilians, and Cypriot authorities had actually provided. facilities to nine other nations in helping smaller sized groups. of individuals to leave, Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos stated. He did not identify the countries.

Kombos said that while airports in the area remained. practical, usage of the Cypriot center may be unneeded.

If, as a result of yesterday's developments, airports in. the area shut, the (evacuation) strategy enters play, Kombos. said after a conference of the island's national security council,. leading advisers to the government on security concerns.

He was describing Tuesday's rocket attack by Iran on. Israel, which had actually previously released a barrage of attacks. versus the Iran-backed Hezbollah group in Lebanon, decimating. its senior command.

Close to 60,000 individuals from Lebanon were evacuated through. Cyprus in 2006, during the last large-scale dispute in between. Israel and Hezbollah. The island is the closest European Union member state to. Lebanon, about 40 minutes by air and 10 hours away by boat. Some. people from Lebanon have actually already started arriving on the. island on personal luxury yachts, Cypriot officials stated.

(source: Reuters)