Humanitarian aid during the 2006 Lebanon War
[1] The Israeli strategy of blockade, including seaports, the Beirut airport, and key roads and bridges, meant that expected escape routes were unavailable.
"[24] Over 600 Armenian nationals have been evacuated to Armenia from both Lebanon and Israel via the Aleppo airport since the start of the crisis, according to Yerevan officials.
The foreign ministry estimates that there were approximately 1,200 Armenian citizens residing in Lebanon at least before the start of the crisis a week ago.
"Fortunately, our forecasts have proved correct and there has been no massive influx [of Armenian evacuees from Lebanon]," said Deputy Foreign Minister Gegham Gharibjanian, "even though our diplomatic missions are prepared to help to evacuate more people.
[29] On July 17, a group of 122 Brazilians left Beirut on 3 buses towards Adana, where the Sucatão was waiting to transport them back to Brazil, going to Recife, Guarulhos, and Rio de Janeiro.
[40] The parliamentary opposition, families of victims, and others in Canada have been critical of the government's response time and the use of online registration for potential evacuees.
[43] He was accompanied to Cyprus by only his essential staff: his bodyguards, communications aides, his logistics organizer, the tour director, a doctor, and his official photographer.
They evacuated between 2500 and 5000 Greek citizens, as well as large numbers of nationals of the European Union, United States, and other western countries.
Several Greek commercial ships were also used by other western countries, such as France and Sweden, in order to evacuate their nationals from the area, due to the proximity of Greece to the coast of Lebanon.
On July 17, two buses carrying 82 people departed Beirut to crossed the Lebanese-Syrian border and arrived safely in Damascus where they flew onwards to Dubai and then Dublin.
[50][51] On President Vladimir Voronin's instructions, there was set up an operative inter-ministerial committee to deal with the evacuation of the Moldovan citizens from Lebanon, Israel and Gaza Strip.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration, as of July 27 about 150 out of 240 Moldovan citizens living in Lebanon have left the country.
200 Norwegians and a number of other nationalities, among them Swedes, Finns, Canadians and a large group of Americans in the afternoon of July 18.
[57] Romania's Foreign Affairs minister Răzvan Ungureanu asked his Syrian counterpart Walid Al-Mouallem to help Romanians transiting Syria on their way back home.
A total of 1,407 Russian and Commonwealth of Independent States citizens were evacuated by Aeroflot and Russia's EMERCOM flights from Damascus, Latakia and Cyprus.
Illustrious and HMS Bulwark were steaming towards the area from the western Mediterranean and arrived by noon on July 20 to assist with evacuations.
Also, the Royal Fleet Auxiliary stores ship RFA Fort Victoria and the Type 23 frigate HMS St Albans headed for the area to assist in the evacuation.
Task Force 59 personnel, led by Marine Corps Brigadier General Carl B. Jensen, were the first to arrive in the "joint operation area" (JOA) region on July 16 where DoD assets evacuated 21 American citizens out of Beirut by helicopter on the first day.
Sailors and Marines from the Iwo Jima (LHD 7) Expeditionary Strike Group (ESG) including Nashville (LPD 13), Whidbey Island (LSD 41), Trenton (LPD 14) and the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit (24th MEU) arrived on station July 20 and began using utility landing craft (LCU) to safely transport American citizens wishing to depart Lebanon to avoid the hostilities.
[74] The transfer in military responsibility to the organization that would become JTF Lebanon led by Navy Vice Admiral John "Boomer" Stufflebeem, continued the DoD mission to protect American citizens, support the American Embassy in Beirut, assist the people of Lebanon through humanitarian aid, and help the multinational effort to provide lasting regional stability.
According to the Armenian government, an unspecified amount of medicines, tents and fire-fighting equipment was allocated to Lebanese authorities on July 27.
[76] On 31 July, the first dispatch of humanitarian aid from Greece to Lebanon landed at Cyprus' Larnaca airport, according to Deputy Foreign Minister Evripidis Stylianidis.
Greece's aid pacakge includes nine tons of medical supplies, bedding and tents requested by the Lebanese government from the European Union.
King Abdullah also ordered relief planes to arrive at the Beirut International Airport, some with several tons of food items and medical supplies to provide help to the Lebanese, and others with an equipped field hospital.
[84] However, there are also reports that some aid from Jordan along with offers of medical assistance has been shunned by some Lebanese citizens in protest at the Jordanian Government's reaction towards the attacks on Lebanon.
[citation needed] The peace treaty between Jordan and Israel has probably played an important role in the Jordanian initiative of sending relief planes, in fact, countries like the United Arab Emirates are taking advantage of that by using the Amman Airport as the medium of sending their own relief planes to Lebanon.
The Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) and its emergency response affiliate, Focus Humanitarian Assistance (FOCUS) provided immediate humanitarian relief in response to the conflict, establishing a Mother and Child Health Centre at Damascus University campus which provided specialist medical care, a pharmacy and a day care centre for young children.
Furthermore, over 100 local community volunteers were mobilised to provide essential logistical support to the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP).
Volunteers distributed relief items including hygiene kits, plastic sheeting, blankets, mattresses, cooking utensils, safe drinking water and high-energy biscuits to assist families during the conflict and also on their return journey to Lebanon.
[95] The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (based in Utah) has prepared a plane shipment of aid to be sent to Lebanon, and has also met a request from Magen David Adom for $50,000 to be used for their "blood services program, ambulance response, and support of individual family needs".
