Western states weigh up Lebanon evacuation options as ceasefire talks stall

Western nations are weighing their options on how to safely get nationals out of Lebanon if a full-scale war breaks out, diplomats said, with Cyprus and possibly Turkey seen as offering sanctuary to tens of thousands of people.

Cyprus is the closest European Union member state, some 264 km from Lebanon. It has been at the forefront of maritime aid efforts for Gaza and in the past was used to coordinate evacuations from Lebanon.

Cyprus processed around 60,000 people fleeing the Hezbollah-Israel war in 2006, and a potential Israel ground invasion into southern Lebanon with a response from Iran-backed Hezbollah of ballistic missiles and drones could mean mass evacuations from both Lebanon and Israel.

"We have requests from a number of countries, not only from the European Union but also from other third countries. We are ready to play this role in case of a need,"...