Military jet carrying 96 South Koreans arrives home from Lebanon amid escalating tensions

SEOUL: A South Korean military aircraft brought 96 nationals home from Lebanon on Saturday, the country's foreign ministry said, in its first evacuation operation amid escalating tensions in the region.

The KC-330 military transport plane landed at Seoul Air Base in Seongnam, just south of Seoul, at around 12:50 p.m. (local time), the ministry said.

The military jet departed from Beirut on Friday afternoon (local time) after arriving earlier that day. It took off from the southeastern city of Busan on Thursday, Yonhap news agency reported.

One Lebanese national, a family member of a South Korean citizen, was also on board, officials said, with over 30 per cent of those evacuated being minors.

The evacuation plan was implemented as hostilities between Israel and the Hezbollah militant group continued to escalate, making it increasingly difficult for foreign nationals in the Middle East to leave on commercial flights.

Kim Seo-kyoung, a 39-year-old who was the first to disembark the plane with her two children, thanked officials for the operation, describing the serious situation in Lebanon due to bombings at night.

"Our house would shake due to the bombing, we couldn't sleep properly," Kim said. "We are very grateful the government sent a transport plane."

"Our government will continue to closely monitor the situation in Lebanon and the Middle East to ensure the safety of our citizens. We will take all necessary measures to protect them," the ministry said in a press release.

On Wednesday, President Yoon Suk Yeol ordered the immediate dispatch of military transport aircraft to bring South Korean citizens home.

As of Wednesday, approximately 130 South Korean nationals were in Lebanon, excluding diplomats and their families, a ministry official said on the condition of anonymity. Currently, South Korean diplomats and around 30 nationals are still staying in the nation.

There were around 110 nationals in Iran and another 480 in Israel, the ministry said.

It marked the latest dispatch of a military aircraft to bring South Koreans home from conflict-ridden areas. A KC-330 was dispatched to Israel in October last year to bring back 163 South Koreans after Hamas' October 7 attack.

The aircraft was also mobilised for an operation in April 2023 to evacuate 28 South Koreans from Sudan after fighting intensified between rival forces in the country.

Meanwhile, Israel launched another series of airstrikes on Friday, hitting suburban Beirut and cutting off the main border crossing between Lebanon and Syria, affecting tens of thousands of people fleeing the Israeli bombardment.

More foreign countries continue to explore ways to protect their citizens, with some governments having chartered flights, while others issue warnings and offer assistance.

Seoul's foreign ministry said it will provide US$3 million worth of humanitarian aid to Lebanon amid rising casualties from Israel's military attack against Hezbollah.

The ministry said the assistance will help affected people in Lebanon ease their difficulties and quickly return to their daily lives.

The government has issued a Level 3 travel advisory for Israel and Lebanon, which strongly advises South Koreans there to leave the country immediately. The Level 4 travel ban, the highest of the four-scale travel warning system, has been applied to border regions of Israel and Lebanon.