inp.polri.go.id - Jakarta. The Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs evacuated 40 Indonesian citizens from Lebanon by land amidst the escalation of the conflict between Lebanon and Israel. The conflict has been escalating further and is already considered to be dangerous for the safety of Indonesians in Lebanon.

"These 40 (WNI) must be evacuated by land because air travel is increasingly difficult. Air space has been constantly opened and closed," said Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi on Friday (10/11/2024).

The Minister of Foreign Affairs explained that the land evacuation began from Beirut to Damascus, Syria, then to Amman, Jordan. From Amman, the Indonesians will then be able to head to Jakarta via air.

The 40 WNI, she continued, are the fourth and fifth waves of the WNI evacuation process. In detail, 20 people departed from Beirut on October 2nd, and 20 others plus one foreign citizen who is the spouse of the one Indonesian citizen departed on October 3rd.

"That means 40 plus one arrived in Aman on October 4 and on October 7 they arrived at Soekarno-Hatta Airport," said the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

In total, per October 10th, there are 79 Indonesians plus one foreigner that have been evacuated from Lebanon. 

Meanwhile, the Indonesian Embassy in Beirut confirmed that currently there are 85 Indonesian citizens still in Lebanon. The majority are Indonesian citizens who are married to Lebanese citizens and do not want to be evacuated.

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