In a press statement, Assistant Foreign Minister for Consular Affairs abroad Ambassador Mohamed Al-Derghamy said that about 18.000 Egyptians were back from Lebanon due to the efforts exerted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as well as the Egyptian embassy in Lebanon.

Al-Derghamy pointed out that since the Israeli aggression on Lebanon started, a comprehensive plan for dealing with the crisis had been implemented.

Ambassador Al-Derghamy said that there was a crises-management group, formed by Minister of Foreign Affairs Ahmed Abul-Gheit, that is immediately called upon when needed to deal with emergency and crises.

In respect to Lebanese critical situation and what has been done to evacuating the Egyptian nationals from Lebanon, El-Derghamy said that right after the Israeli aggression on Lebanon started the crises-management group, in cooperation with the concerned bodies, set up a comprehensive plan for evacuating Egyptian nationals who were wishing to come home. This is in addition to that operations units which had been set up in the Egyptian embassies in Beirut, Damascus and Oman. Also, a hot line had been opened in the Foreign Ministry in order to instruct the embassies and facilitate the procedures regarding those who lost their passports or identity cards.

El-Derghamy added that many Egyptians went directly to the embassy in Lebanon once the crises sparked. The embassy then took its actions of contacting the registered citizens, whose number did not exceed 5.000 and started to evacuate people. Estimates show that the number of Egyptian nationals in Lebanon is around 300.000.

He also pointed out to the mutual cooperation between the Egyptian embassies in Beirut and Damascus. Ambassador El-Derghamy said this cooperation was based on the methodologies brought out by the crises-management and described those personnel who were responsible for protecting Egyptians and bringing them back safely as "Egypt's soldiers abroad".

There were three groups in our embassy in Damascus, one on the Syrian-Lebanese borders to coordinate with the authorities and facilitate the nationals' entrance to Damascus airport; another for providing relief supplies and the last one, under the Egyptian ambassador, was concerned with facilitating travel procedures, El-Derghamy said.

Regarding the number of the evacuated nationals, El-Derghamy said 14.000 have been evacuated on the state's account, 3500 were back under the state supervision and 500 returned back by their own cars through Aqaba Gulf.

A large number refused to come back; they preferred not to leave their families and works and there were those who were married to Lebanese wives and have been their since years, El-Derghamy pointed out.

Meanwhile, Ambassador El-Derghamy stated that the detained Egyptians in Lebanon, due to illegal immigration, have been discharged and were back home.

He then stressed on the fact that their mission did not reach an end as the crises-management group would continue its work in searching for any nationals who desire to come back and in protecting those who would like to stay. On the other hand, there is the Foreign Ministry role in caring for Egyptians abroad and calling for an immediate ceasefire.