Seven Maltese nationals have been evacuated from Lebanon. While a couple and a Jesuit priest arrived safely in Malta on Friday afternoon, another Jesuit priest is in Damascus being assisted by the Maltese honorary consulate and three others are on their way back. On the other hand, another two Maltese are still in Lebanon and have not asked for assistance to leave, the Foreign Ministry told The Sunday Times.
Fr Michael Zammit Mangion, another Jesuit based in Hazmeih, a Christian area just outside Beirut, in fact has opted to remain in Lebanon because of work commitments.
On the other hand, The Sunday Times reported that Fr Oliver Borg Olivier, one of the seven to ask for assistance, was expected to leave Lebanon on Saturday.
In fact, contacted by The Sunday Times on Saturday morning, while waiting at the port to be transported to Cyprus where he hopes to board a flight to Malta, Jesuit Fr Borg Olivier said he was leaving because the situation in Lebanon was very insecure.
"The situation here is very bad, and people are suffering greatly. There is a shortage of food and medicines, and although Israel promised not to continue to attack the infrastructure, just yesterday they fired on a bus full of people. Now they are promising to start carcade bombing from the south from tomorrow," he told The Sunday Times.
The Foreign Ministry said that the Maltese nationals in Lebanon had been evacuated with the help of the British and French embassies in Beirut in collaboration with the Maltese honorary consulate's office in the Lebanese capital.
Meanwhile, on Sunday morning, Israeli warplanes struck at suspected Hezbollah sites in Sidon and the capital Beirut. 14 people were injured in Sidon.
On the other hand, at least two people have died after Hezbollah militants launched rockets at the Israeli city of Haifa.
See also:
Three Maltese to be evacuated from Lebanon
By MaltMedia News - Jul 17, 2006, 18:53 CET
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