Lbanese officials told AFP that 117 Iranians, including diplomats, had evacuated by Russian aircraft overnight, but did not disclose the destination.
On Sunday, March 8, a Lebanese official who requested anonymity told AFP that over 100 Iranians, including diplomats, had left Beirut by Russian aircraft the previous night.
"A total of 117 Iranians, including diplomats and embassy staff, have evacuated from Beirut on a Russian aircraft that left between Saturday and Sunday night," the official said. He stated that the plane had flown to Turkey, but did not specify the final destination of the evacuated Iranians.
The Lebanese government decided on Thursday to prohibit any potential military activities by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard in its territory and to impose visa restrictions on Iranians entering Lebanon, aiming to further pressure the pro-Iranian Hezbollah.
The official noted that the Iranian embassy had previously informed the Lebanese authorities about this evacuation operation through Beirut International Airport.
However, the official did not reveal the destination of the Russian flight.
The airport is located in the southern suburbs of Beirut, an area that has been bombed by the Israeli Air Force since Monday, but the airport remains operational, with flights currently handled mainly by the national airline Middle East Airlines.
Additionally, the body of an Iranian diplomat killed in the war, along with his wife and three children, was also transported back to Iran on this flight, the official added.
A Lebanese security source said that Hezbollah drew Lebanon into the Middle East war on Monday, with its members guided by Iranian liaison officers.
Between Saturday and Sunday night, the Israeli Air Force carried out an air strike on a hotel in the Beirut coastline, marking the first direct attack on the core area of the Lebanese capital since the war began.
The Israeli military stated that they "precisely targeted key commanders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' Qods Force in Beirut," a branch of the Islamic Republic of Iran's overseas operations.
The Lebanese Health Ministry stated that the attack resulted in four deaths and ten injuries.
On Tuesday, the Israeli military announced the killing of the liaison officer of the Lebanese Qods Force in Tehran.
Source: rfi
Original: toutiao.com/article/1859106846147596/
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