As things continue to heat up in the region, we have this story courtesy the BBC.
-Sumita Sheth

India has diverted four of its warships to Beirut to evacuate Indian nationals who want to flee conflict in Lebanon.

An Indian embassy official said the Indian ships were in Lebanese waters and should reach Beirut on Thursday. There are an estimated 12,000 Indians in Lebanon. Sri Lanka, which has about 80,000 citizens there, is also trying to evacuate those who want to leave. Separately, Bangladesh has asked for help locating and evacuating its nationals stranded in the country. Dhaka says there are at least 10,000 Bangladeshis in Lebanon. The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) says the figure could be much higher.

Leaving by road
An Indian embassy official in Beirut told the BBC that staff had already completed the paperwork to enable the Indian ships to dock. "We have already completed all the formalities with the local authorities and hopefully by tomorrow [Thursday] morning the first ship will enter Beirut port," the official, Tajinder Bakshi, said. He said the actual evacuation process could take up to three days. "There is a queue for berthing in Beirut because several nations are trying to evacuate their own people. So we have to wait our turn."

India's ambassador in Beirut, Nengcha Lhouvum, told the BBC on Tuesday that an estimated 12,000 Indians were living in the country. "Most of them are unskilled or semi-skilled labourers working in factories and industrial units," Ms Lhouvum added. Many of them have been living in Lebanon for more than two decades. The ambassador said 49 Indians have already been evacuated by road to Syria. The Lebanese government provided an escort for these people up to its border. The families of those working in the Indian embassy in Lebanon have also been evacuated.

An Indian foreign ministry official in Delhi said those Indian nationals who were able to cross into Syria, had been advised to contact the embassy in Damascus, which is running a 24-hour helpline for advice and assistance. The Indian government is also in touch with the United Nations to find out the future of its peace-keeping mission stationed in Lebanon, which has more than 600 Indian soldiers in the war zone. The foreign ministry official said an Indian soldier had been wounded either by a stray Israeli shell ricocheting off a rock or by another unidentified object. A protest regarding the incident has been made to the Israeli government.