Amid escalating tensions in the Middle East, German air force planes were expected to fly another 219 vulnerable German citizens home from the Lebanese capital Beirut on Friday.
A total of 460 people have been flown out of Lebanon so far as part of the so-called diplomatic pick-up program, according to the Foreign Ministry in Berlin.
Depending on the requirements and the situation, further flights are prepared. The Airbus A330 of the multinational air transport unit MMU was scheduled to land in Cologne in the evening.
The German army flew 130 German citizens out of Lebanon on Wednesday. Unlike evacuation flights, diplomatic pick-up flights are not accompanied by armed soldiers.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Airbus again transported urgently needed aid supplies to Lebanon to provide emergency aid to the civilian population.
There was reportedly more than two tons of medical supplies on board. The cargo was financed by the Foreign Office and will be transferred to the Lebanese sister organization of the German Red Cross.
On Monday, a German military plane returned from Beirut to Berlin carrying German embassy staff, along with their families and staff from German intermediary organizations.
The plane landed in the evening with about 110 passengers on board, the Foreign Ministry confirmed.
After nearly a year of cross-border skirmishes, Israel last week launched a large-scale air campaign on targets across Lebanon.
According to Lebanese authorities, hundreds have been killed and tens of thousands have been displaced during the fighting in Lebanon.
The Foreign Ministry had this weekend raised crisis levels for German missions in Beirut, Tel Aviv and Ramallah in the West Bank.
The embassies remain operational, but non-essential personnel are flown out.
