France will send a helicopter carrier to the Eastern Mediterranean within the next five to six days, reports Reuters, quoted by News.bg.
The helicopter carrier will take up a position to be ready to evacuate foreign nationals from Lebanon if the situation there worsens, a spokesman for the French army explained. Western countries are considering their options for the safe evacuation of their citizens if full-scale war breaks out in Lebanon. Cyprus and possibly Turkey have been named as potential countries that would host tens of thousands of evacuees.
Israel announced that intense fighting with the Hezbollah group had begun in southern Lebanon after Israeli airborne units and commandos launched ground operations followed by airstrikes against the Hezbollah leadership.
France, which has around 20,000 nationals in Lebanon, sent its Dixmude helicopter carrier from the Toulon naval port to the region.