Athens on stanby for civilian evacuations amid rising Middle East tensions

Athens is preparing for a potential evacuation of Greek nationals from the Middle East as regional tensions escalate.

Military and political resources may be mobilised for evacuations from the region, including Lebanon and Israel, with Cyprus as the first stop. Greece has also offered to assist in evacuating citizens of other nationalities.

According to reports, Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has ordered a retaliation against Israel for the killing of Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran last week. On Tuesday, Lebanese Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah also promised a “strong and effective” response to Israel’s killing of the group’s military commander Fuad Shukr, taking place hours after the Haniyeh killing. Hezbollah is part of the Iranian-led anti-Israel coalition of countries and militant groups “Axis of Resistance.” When or how the retaliation will occur has not been specified.

The Greek Defense Ministry is coordinating with the army, air force and navy to monitor the situation.

Greek forces in the region include two frigates and an artillery group. The frigate Kountouriotis, part of the United Nations Interim Force In Lebanon (UNIFIL) mission and the Psarra frigate, involved in the European operation Aspides against Houthi attacks in the Red Sea, are on standby. The Greek Patriot missile system in Saudi Arabia is ready to provide surveillance of the Gulf.

The final decision on military and evacuation operations will be made by the Greek government.

Source: ekathimerini.com