30 September 2024 | 08:04

Kazakh citizens stranded in Beirut amid ongoing Israeli bombardment

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Tengrinews.kz - Kazakhstan nationals are unable to leave Beirut, where a massive Israeli bombardment is currently taking place. Kazakhstani citizen Kristina Finazhina, who finds herself in the escalation zone, shared her difficulties with the situation.

Tengrinews.kz - Kazakhstan nationals are unable to leave Beirut, where a massive Israeli bombardment is currently taking place. Kazakhstani citizen Kristina Finazhina, who finds herself in the escalation zone, shared her difficulties with the situation.

She described the challenging conditions in Lebanon, particularly in Beirut, stating that exiting the city is currently difficult since many international airlines have suspended flights, leaving almost no tickets available. Moreover, ground transportation options are virtually impossible, surrounded by Israel, Syria, and the sea.

"There are no commercial flights; all airlines have halted operations. Even if online systems show available flights and ticket prices, you will receive cancellation notices closer to the departure date. Only local airline Middle East Airlines is still operating, but their tickets are booked two weeks in advance, and no one knows what will happen tomorrow. Last night’s continuous bombardments indicated that if this continues, there will be nothing left of Beirut or all of us," she said.

Kristina, who is with her two young children at her husband’s relatives’ house, fears their home has likely been destroyed due to its proximity to the bombardment zone. They managed to leave their apartment just in time.

According to her, no one anticipated such a massive attack, and many residents could not evacuate the city in time.

"When all this started, schools were still open, universities were functioning, and people were going to work. The bombings were occurring elsewhere, near the border. In recent days, the escalation has intensified significantly. We didn’t sleep at all last night as the bombardments began at 1 AM and continued until morning, and they are still ongoing. People are being advised to evacuate to safer areas, but such zones are practically non-existent now. Israeli intelligence sends out messages about which areas will be bombed, just like last night, causing people to wake up in their underwear and run outside. Then they start bombing, moving from area to area," she recalled.

Kazakh citizens are in contact with the Kazakh embassy in Lebanon, but no assurances have been made regarding evacuation. They are seeking help to escape the escalation zone, fearing that the Beirut airport could be destroyed in the attacks.

"With explosions happening and drones circling, the atmosphere is very tense. The ambassador said that evacuation is not currently planned. The embassy states that no Western countries - neither the USA, Canada, France, nor Russia - are evacuating their citizens; they are merely advising them to leave the country," Kristina lamented.

According to her, 123 people are already registered for evacuation with the embassy, and that number is expected to grow.

Tengrinews.kz has requested information from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan regarding citizens caught in the bombardment zone in Lebanon.

Earlier reports indicated that Israeli fighter jets struck the central command of Hezbollah, located underground beneath a residential building in the Dahye area of Beirut, while top Hezbollah leaders were present.

Hezbollah has officially confirmed the death of its leader, Hassan Nasrallah.

Israel announces preparation for ground assault on Lebanon.

Lebanon Israel Bombardier bombing Kazakhstan Ministry of Foreign Affairs

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