Another 105 expats return from Lebanon

News Desk :: Another 105 Bangladeshi nationals have been repatriated from Lebanon amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.They arrived in Dhaka on Thursday night aboard an Emirates flight, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on Friday.

To date, a total of 963 Bangladeshis have been brought back home on 15 flights. Following the outbreak of the war in Gaza in 2023, hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel escalated. Since mid-September, Israel has intensified its attacks on Lebanon.

The violence has forced over 1.2 million people in Lebanon to flee their homes, according to the United Nations refugee agency. The Bangladesh Embassy estimates that around 100,000 Bangladeshi expatriates reside in Lebanon. Earlier, the government said that 1,800 Bangladeshi nationals had registered to return amid the conflict.

On Oct 21, the interim government began repatriation efforts, helping as many as 54 expats return home in the first phase. The foreign ministry has pledged to repatriate all Bangladeshi migrants who wish to return from Lebanon during the conflict at government expense.

Representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare, and IOM welcomed the returnees at the airport, according to the press statement. The IOM also provided each of them with Tk 5,000, some food items and first aid upon their return.