Bahrain Evacuates 40 From Beirut As Civil War Erupts

Manama, Bahrain (AHN) - Forty Bahrainis were evacuated from Lebanon and transferred to Syria, Bahrain authorities announced on Friday.

The head of the delegation, Captain Bassam Al Maraj, said in a statement that the evacuation was carried out in cooperation with the Bahrain Embassy in Syria.

"The passengers arrived safely in Syria. There are other 11 Bahrainis, who are being helped by the Saudi embassy. We are following up the case with the Bahrain Management office in Lebanon," he said.

Sectarian violence has hit the country, with reports indicating a full blown civil war. Opposition Hizbollah, the largest Shia movement in Lebanon, reportedly seized control of West Beirut from government forces on Friday.

Maraj heads the special security team formed by the Ministry of Interior to assist students and tourists in Lebanon. The team is currently determining the total number of Bahrainis and their locations.

"All Bahrainis are in good health and the team is in contact with them," the Bahrain News Agency (BNA) reported.

The agency also carried a statement by Bahraini Ambassador to Damascus, Waheed Mubarak Al Sayar, who said that a Gulf Air aircraft, the national carrier of Bahrain, had transported citizens from Beirut to Damascus. The passengers are expected to arrive in Bahrain on Saturday.

"The embassy has facilitated travel procedures of 20 nationals and provided hotel rooms. Those who missed the first bus have taken Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Kuwait buses. There will be another bus which will leave Beirut carrying 18 Bahrainis," the ambassador said.

Several European and Arab countries have issued travel warnings to its citizens asking them not to travel to Lebanon due to the escalating violence. The U.S. Department of State announced a similar travel warning to its citizens on its website in April.

For Bahraini Hala Abdulla, whose sister went to Lebanon for a vacation, the pictures of violent clashes shown on television were a horrific reminder of the past.

"I was scared and wanted my sister to return safely. I call her everyday since the clashes broke out. She cannot go outside and is confined to her house. My brother who lives in South Lebanon will accompany her to Syria," she told AHN.

The war has also brought difficult times to the tourism-driven economy of the country. It's not only tourists who are flocking to the country during the summers, but Bahraini students studying in universities.

According to BNA on Friday, Minister of Education Dr. Majid Al Nuaimi gave directives to his ministry to assist students and their relatives in cooperation with local universities in Lebanon.

Prime Minister Shaikh Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa expressed regret at the condition of Lebanon and assured Lebanese leaders of Bahrain's support, according to BNA.

Similar efforts were taken by the Bahrain government last year when successive Israeli attacks in Beirut stranded several families in the capital. They were safely returned, and no Bahrainis was injured or killed.

According to Reuters, Hizbollah fought a 34-day war with Israel in 2006 that killed 1,200 people in Lebanon and 159 in Israel. Hizbollah is headed by Sayed Hassan Nasrallah and is listed as a terror organization in the United States, United Kingdom and Australia among others.

But in the Arab world, Hizbollah is seen as a resistance movement. An example of this was seen when the Al Wefaq bloc, the largest Shia movement in Bahrain, issued a statement condemning the death of Hizbollah senior commander Imad Mughniyeh. He died in February in a car-bomb in Damascus.