Lebanon, July 19, 2006
Rubi Thakarwal
NRI press
Three NRIs were injured and one was missing after Israeli air
strikes at a glass factory in Shatura, the eastern Bekaa valley
in Lebanon. The glass factory was owned by an British NRI.
Indian embassy in Beirut spokesperson said, "Four Indian
Navy warships anchored overnight off the Lebanese coast, were
on Wednesday given berthing space in Beirut port to move Indians
to safety and will carry the Indians to Cyprus, before being airlifted
back into India". Israel has allowed the Indian warships
to carry Indians and Syria also allowed the Indian embassy to
transport Indian in buses to Syria from Beirut on a highway.
It is estimated that ther are 12,000 Indians in Lebanon and only
about 1,000 Indians like to leave the Lebanon.
Israeli troops punched into south Lebanon on Wednesday as warplanes
flattened houses and buildings. The Lebanese prime minister say
about 300 people in his country had died in the eight-day offensive.Thousands
of foreigners fled Lebanon in one of the largest evacuation operations
since World War II, including 1,000 Americans who arrived in Cyprus
early Thursday on a rented cruise ship.
Israel vowed to press the offensive in Lebanon until it destroys
the militant Shiite guerrillas' vast arsenal of missiles and drives
Hezbollah fighters far from its northern border.
The Bush administration is giving Israel a tacit green light
to take the time it needs to neutralize the Shiite militant group,
but the Europeans fear mounting civilian casualties will play
into the hands of militants and weaken Lebanon's democratically
elected government.
In all, more than 10,000 people from at least 13 countries had
been extracted from Lebanon by Wednesday night.
