24 Irish citizens have been evacuated from Lebanon as fighting continues

As fighting continuies in Lebanon, 24 Irish citizens have been successfully evacuated, the Government has confirmed.

The two groups of Irish citizens departed on flights on Friday and will arrive back in Ireland in the coming days.

The evacuation was made possible with the assistance of the governments of both The Netherlands and Canada.

Commenting after the evacuation, Tánaiste Micheál Martin said: "I am pleased to announce that two groups of Irish citizens were assisted to depart Lebanon. The citizens departed on flights operated by Ireland’s international partners and they are expected to arrive in Ireland over the weekend.

"Throughout this crisis, the Department of Foreign Affairs and our Embassy in Cairo has remained in regular contact with Irish citizens in Lebanon. We have worked closely with our EU and other partners to exchange information and coordinate our consular response to the situation in Lebanon."

READ ALSO: Taoiseach 'doesn't need clarity' if President Biden considers himself Irish

Mr Martin gave special thanks to the Canadian and Dutch Governments: "I would like to thank the governments of The Netherlands and Canada who together assisted the departure of 24 Irish citizens and dependents today. I would also like to thank our consular response teams in Cairo, Dublin and across the Middle East who continue to support Irish citizens in the region.

Many Irish citizens in Lebanon are deeply rooted in the country, with family, work and other links. While we have been able to assist almost all Irish citizens who have expressed a wish to leave, understandably many have decided to remain."

The Irish Defence Forces says is it receiving regular updates from its leadership in Lebanon regarding the 380 members who are currently serving in the region.

Unifil (United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon) have instructed all troops to limit their movements in Lebanon, according to the Defence Forces.