American Evacuees May Leave Lebanon

[Jason]

American Evacuees May Leave Lebanon on Escorted Greek Cruise Ship

Beirut - Hundreds of U.S. citizens could be leaving Lebanon on Tuesday aboard a chartered Greek cruise ship as evacuations of Americans and other foreigners continued in the face of the still raging Israeli-Hezbollah war.

Americans were flown by U.S. military helicopters from the Lebanese capital of Beirut to the island country of Cyprus, 125 miles away, on Sunday and Monday.

Some, however, were still stuck in Lebanon.

"It's pretty chaotic," Patricia Stefanovic Rabil, the mother of a small child, told FOX News in a phone interview. "Not having information ... is very frustrating."

The U.S. government chartered the Orient Queen, a Greek registered cruise ship that can hold 750 passengers, to accommodate more of those wanting to leave. The vessel would be ready to ferry people to Cyprus on Tuesday, according to the Pentagon.

The ship would be accompanied by a military escort, a destroyer vessel called the U.S.S. Gonzalez, if necessary, the Pentagon said.

Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said that several hundred people who want to evacuate have contacted the U.S. Embassy in Beirut.

Three CH-53 choppers, each of which can transport about 30 passengers, were already airlifting Americans from the embassy to Cyprus, with more on the way Tuesday as the pace of air and sea evacuations was expected to increase.

Whitman said plans were being made in the possible event of a Hezbollah attack on the evacation operation.

"We'll take all appropriate measures and precautions," he said, declining to offer specifics.

Meanwhile, about 2,000 U.S. Marines have ended an annual exercise in Jordan and they, along with the U.S.S. Iwo Jima in the Red Sea, were available if needed, according to the Pentagon. It would take several days for Iwo Jima to get to the eastern Mediterranean to help with transporting people out of Lebanon, however.

Source: Fox News

[schatje]

I'm glad they are getting the people out and getting them to safety. I always wanted to travel in this area of the world but if things don't change I for one will not venture there.

[GottaCruz]

Glad to hear this also. Yesterday, on the news, I cried as I heard a young girl, I believe an American student, describing to a journalist, how she was stuck in Lebanon, scared to death, listening to the bombs go off and being told to stay where she was and not venture out. It was so heartbreading to hear her say that she just wanted to go home and how she was just lying there curled up . Horrible.

[KeithnRita]

>> Whitman said plans were being made in the possible event of a Hezbollah attack on the evacuation operation.

They have anti-ship missiles that was sold to them by Iran. We pray they don't try to hit the evacuation ship, but that something they would probably try to do, if they have the chance.

[Dan]

You got that right. If they attacked a ship carrying evacuees, then what Israel is doing now will look like a Sunday picnic to what will happen.

Just heard on the news this morning that Canada has charted 6 ships to evacuate people to Cyprus.