TNI and Ministry of Foreign Affairs Immediately Evacuate Indonesian Citizens from Lebanon

Residents check the damage to buildings at the site of the Israeli attack in Choueifat, Beirut, Lebanon. (Hussein Malla/AP)

HEAD of the TNI Information Center (Kapuspen) Major General TNI Hariyanto said TNI soldiers were ready to evacuate Indonesian citizens (WNI) in Lebanon to be returned to their homeland.

“Regarding the evacuation of Indonesian citizens in Lebanon, the full authority for evacuation orders lies with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Kemlu), especially in the Directorate for the Protection of Indonesian Citizens,” said Head of the Indonesian National Armed Forces National Police Headquarters Maj. Gen. Hariyanto to Media Indonesia, Tuesday (1/10).

Also read: Ministry of Foreign Affairs and TNI Discuss Plans to Evacuate Indonesian Citizens from Lebanon

According to him, the situation in Lebanon is increasingly worrying due to intensive Israeli attacks. Based on the latest data, there are 160 Indonesian citizens in Lebanon.

“The TNI will continue to coordinate and be ready if at any time requested by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to carry out an evacuation,” he said.

In preparation, he said, the TNI has prepared a Crisis Response Team (CRT) consisting of 129 personnel, as well as various defense equipment that can be used to support evacuation operations, including options by air and sea.

Also read: Condemning Israel’s attack on Lebanon, Jokowi: Needs a quick world response

Apart from that, the TNI also continues to coordinate with UNIFIL leadership to ensure that all steps taken are in accordance with procedures and safe for all Indonesian citizens.

However, regarding the schedule and implementation of the evacuation, the party is still waiting for decisions and directions from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

“The TNI is ready to move at any time if necessary,” he stressed.

Also read: Anticipating Widespread Conflict, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Prepares Evacuation Scheme for Indonesian Citizens from Lebanon

Meanwhile, the Director for Protection of Indonesian Citizens and Indonesian Legal Entities at the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Judha Nugraha, said that it was difficult for his party to predict the situation in Lebanon in the future.

“We are also still monitoring Hezbollah’s current attitude, they are still observing a 3-day mourning period and we are also monitoring that the IDF is also deploying additional brigadiers to northern Israel,” he said.

He appealed to Indonesian citizens in Lebanon not to wait for the situation to become critical for evacuation. Moreover, when there is an opportunity to carry out an evacuation and it is still open, you must immediately comply.

“However, on the other hand, we are calculating the worst situation and we have to prepare for evacuation. Currently, out of 159 Indonesian citizens, 6 Indonesian citizens are ready to be evacuated,” he said. (D-3)