Tearful Turkish-Lebanese evacuate Lebanon by sea

After weeks of anxiety under Israeli air strikes, Lebanese-Turkish mother-of-four Mona was gripped by a mixture of relief and sorrow as she prepared to evacuate Lebanon by sea.

"I feel we're being ripped away from our country," the 42-year-old who did not want to give her surname said.

"Lebanon is our country. It was the best country. But they destroyed our lives," she added crying, surrounded by more than 10 suitcases.

Mona and her children were among some 2,000 people who signed up to leave Lebanon on Turkish navy ships on Wednesday in the first evacuation from the country by sea.

Most of them were Lebanese with Turkish passports.

Israel and Lebanese militant group Hezbollah have exchanged near-daily fire on the country's southern border since the start of the Gaza war a year ago.

But Israel has intensified its strikes against Hezbollah since September 23, killing more than 1,200 people in Lebanon and displacing more than a million from their homes.

In an events hall near the Beirut seaside, families showed their passports to diplomats as they prepared to board a Turkish navy ship.

Among them were elderly people and children, some sitting on heaps of suitcases.

Wala al-Agha, a 41-year-old Palestinian with Turkish citizenship who was born in Lebanon and has lived in Beirut all her life, said she was heartbroken.

"I'm leaving a piece of my heart behind," she said.

"Even if we live far away from the bombardment, it's no longer safe. We can hear the bombing and it's upsetting us," she said.

Her sister Salwa stood by her side, absent-minded, not realising one of her young daughters was crying.

"We are heading into the unknown. We are only leaving for the safety of our children," Salwa said.

- 'Far worse' -

Some 14,000 people are registered with the Turkish consulate in Lebanon.

Turkish ambassador in Lebanon Ali Baris Ulusoy told AFP the evacuation was a first and came after "a growing number of requests from our Turkish nationals living in Lebanon to be evacuated".

He said they were allowing close relatives "who are not necessarily Turkish nationals, like spouses, children or parents" to travel too.

Israel has hit the south and the east of the country, and pounded the capital Beirut's southern suburbs in strikes sometimes so heavy they echo around the city and beyond.

Lebanon's national airline has continued to operate flights from the nearby airport.

Transport minister Ali Hamieh has said Lebanon was seeking to keep its public airport, sea ports and land crossings functional despite the threats.

Last week, the Israeli army said it struck Hezbollah targets near a border crossing with Syria, obstructing traffic across the frontier.

Carrying a suitcase on his shoulders after its wheels broke, Ghazi Youssef, a 58-year-old Turkish man who has lived in Lebanon for 30 years, said it was the first time he had thought of leaving.

He stayed through the 33-day war between Israel and Hezbollah in 2006 that killed 1,200 people in Lebanon, he said.

"This time the bombardment is far worse," he said.

Not far off, Lebanese-Turkish real estate professional Mohammed Diab stood beside his elderly father in a wheelchair.

He said he didn't leave when Lebanon became mired in the worst financial crisis in its history from 2019, but this was different.

"The situation hs gotten so much worse. There's no way we can stay in Lebanon," said the father-of-two.

"If the situation improves, we will come back, but it looks like the war will be long."