First rescue plane for Brazilians in Lebanon takes off from Rio

The first plane that will repatriate Brazilians who asked for ransom from Lebanon took off in the early hours of this Wednesday (2) from Galeão air base, in Rio de Janeiro. The KC-30 aircraft of the Brazilian Air Force (FAB) is expected to bring 220 people as part of the “Raízes do Cedro” operation, which already has a list of around 3 thousand Brazilians, according to sources informed People’s Gazette.

The flight departed at 0:47 am from Rio de Janeiro to Beirut, the Lebanese capital, with a stop in Lisbon, Portugal, on an initial journey of 9 hours and 20 minutes. Upon landing in the Portuguese capital, the plane will be on standby awaiting clearance to continue the journey, which depends on diplomatic and security issues, due to air attacks in the region between Israel and Lebanon.

This first flight will prioritize the elderly, women, children and people in need of medical assistance. However, there is still no forecast of when the plane will return to Brazil, but it is expected to return at the weekend.

On the other hand, the government has encouraged Brazilians who can afford to leave Lebanon on commercial flights through Beirut airport – which remains open –, while the others will be included on the list of repatriates.

According to Itamaraty, the majority of Brazilians who asked for ransom reside in Beirut and the Bekaa Valley.

“The crew will be composed, in addition to the aircraft’s operational crew, by military personnel from the health sector (doctor, nurse, psychologist), who will be ready to provide the necessary support during the mission,” the FAB said in a statement.

The decision to send an official mission was taken after a conversation between President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) and Chancellor Mauro Vieira on Monday (30), during the trip to Mexico. The Foreign Ministry has been monitoring the situation in Lebanon since last week and has recorded a significant increase in demand for repatriation as the conflict has intensified.

The Brazilian embassy in Beirut is in constant contact with citizens in the country, organizing lists of those who must be evacuated. However, numbers vary, as some families are able to leave on their own, while others may decide to remain or sign up for the list as risks increase.

“The return of the KC-30 to Brazil will be subject to additional coordination and protocols”, added the FAB in a note.

The current scenario takes us back to the 2006 crisis, when around 3,000 Brazilians were removed from Lebanon due to another conflict between Israel and Hezbollah. Since the beginning of the most recent bombings, which target the extremist group Hezbollah, civilians have also been hit, resulting in the deaths of two Brazilians.

Last Saturday (28), Vieira met with the Lebanese Foreign Minister, Abdallah Rashid Bou Habib, to discuss the possibility of repatriation and assess the conflict scenarios. Itamaraty has considered several routes for the evacuation of Brazilians, including the use of Beirut airport, which remains operational, or the use of Russian air bases in Syria, located close to the border with Lebanon.

Another option being studied, although more complex, would be rescue via Cyprus.