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Foreign governments have been evacuating their citizens from Lebanon by the thousands since the onset of the current war with Israel last week.
The US government ordered Marines and Navy ships to the area to help evacuate American citizens from the country, the Navy said Tuesday morning. The US ships, part of a five-vessel Navy unit, were carrying a battalion of Marines with a helicopter squadron, the Navy said in a statement.
The ships were not expected to arrive for a day or so, underscoring criticism that the US evacuation was slow compared to those of other nations. However, the US ambassador in Lebanon said that 320 Americans would leave Lebanon by the end of Tuesday and 1,000 more the following day.
"The Orient Queen," a US-chartered cruise boat capable of carrying 750 passengers, was expected to arrive Tuesday afternoon in Beirut's port. US officials said they expected the number of evacuees to fill the boat to capacity.
The US Embassy said helicopters "continued to fly American citizens with urgent medical problems and for humanitarian reasons out of Lebanon." According to US officials, 60 Americans had been flown out already Tuesday, and 60 more were to follow before the end of the day.
The Canadian government said Tuesday it, too, had arranged for six chartered passenger ships to assist Canadians wishing to depart Lebanon beginning Wednesday. Up to 25,000 Canadians were expected to be evacuated, in what could become the biggest evacuation of its citizens in Canadian history.
European nations were also anxious to get their people out. A Greek cruise ship carrying about 700 French citizens and others - many women and children - arrived in Cyprus' port of Larnaca, while scores of people waited to board the Hual Transporter, a Swedish chartered ship docked at Beirut's port.
Haakon Svane, an official with the Norwegian Foreign Ministry, said the ship was expected to carry about 1,000 passengers, including Swedes, Finns, Norwegians and a few Americans.
France, which ruled Lebanon as a colony until 1943, has more than 20,000 citizens in Lebanon. Most of those who left Monday were of Lebanese origin. Many of the French passengers were reportedly to be flown to France aboard chartered jumbo jets.
Other countries evacuating their citizens included Russia, Italy, and Denmark.
Some of the evacuees expressed regret about having to leave.
"I am extremely sad for Lebanon and for all my new friends here," said Tara Olsson, a 19-year-old Swedish student in Lebanon to study Arabic. "I actually didn't want to leave, but when I heard foreign embassies were organizing evacuations I got worried."
The UN was also evacuating all nonessential staff from Beirut due to the escalating conflict, the world body's humanitarian chief said Tuesday.
"We will evacuate all nonessential staff and we will evacuate dependents and families," said Jan Egeland, head of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, or OCHA. The exact number to be pulled out was still to be decided, Egeland said. The United Nations has some 400 international staff in Lebanon, as well as 88 visitors.
Meanwhile, Israel refused a request for a short cease-fire or a safe corridor in Lebanon to allow the evacuation of foreign nationals, Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said Tuesday.
"The Israelis have so far said that this was a war zone, that they wouldn't agree to our requests," Downer said.
Up to 5,000 Australians have registered with the Australian Embassy in Lebanon, and about 25,000 dual Australian-Lebanese citizens are believed to be living there, Australian media have reported.
Four buses carrying 90 to 100 Australian citizens left Beirut on Tuesday for Syria, Downer said, adding that the Australian government hopes to charter a ship for 300 to 600 more evacuees Wednesday.
"We have asked the Israelis whether it would be possible for there to be a short cease-fire in order to enable our nationals and other foreign nationals to get out of southern Lebanon," Downer said. "We have also put it to them that it would be helpful if there were to be some sort of a safe corridor that these people could move out."
Britain has agreed to allow some Australians to board one of its warships dispatched to evacuate Britons from Lebanon.
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