US Marines waded ashore on a Beirut beach yesterday and evacuated about 1,000 Americans to Cyprus, where thousands of foreigners have fled to escape the Israeli air strikes against Lebanon.
About 40 lightly-armed Marines, aided by Lebanese soldiers, helped 1,052 Americans, including many children, to a troop carrier that set sail for Cyprus as two big explosions shook the Beirut coastline.
The Americans are among thousands pouring into Cyprus since Israeli air raids began nine days ago, including scores of young children, the old and infirm.
Authorities expect many more to arrive by military and civilian ships to the island, which is struggling to cope at the peak of its tourist season and has asked its EU partners for help in dealing with the crisis.
US officials have said they can evacuate 6,000 people by today. The British have sent a warship to bring about 2,000 out early today and several countries said they were bringing home thousands more.
"What we are trying to do is get people on two charter flights tonight and that's going reasonably smoothly," US ambassador to Cyprus Ronald Schlicher told reporters.
"After we move these folks, we will have an even bigger wave in the next couple of days. We are trying to calibrate the best we can the inflow and the outflow," he added.
Three ships docked at the Cypriot port of Larnaca late on Wednesday, bringing in more than 1,300 people, mostly Americans.
A French ship with 900 evacuees arrived yesterday, two Greek navy frigates are due to bring about 800 foreigners, and an Italian warship about 400 Italians today.
While many were fleeing by sea, tens of thousands of Lebanese, as well as foreigners, have braved the road to Syria.
Washington said nine military ships, including a helicopter carrier, were involved in its massive evacuation operation.
The Marines were back in Lebanon nearly 23 years after a Shia Muslim suicide bomber blew up their barracks in Beirut in 1983, killing 220 Marines and 21 other service personnel.
"We are here to help people," said petty officer Eric Walker (36) from Canton, Mississippi. "It's one of the reasons I joined the military."
American evacuees expressed anger at the ferocity of Israel's offensive. "What Israel is doing is terrible," said Ahmed Temsah (55) from Chicago, aboard the USS Nashville. "If you want to go after Hizbullah, then beat them to the ground, please.
"But don't kill innocent people. It's a tragedy women and children are dying.
"They're blowing up a beautiful country and hurting wonderful people," said Billy Broeckelmann (44) from Sugarland, Texas. "It's not right."
"I'm going, but leaving my heart in my country and my village," Mustapha Safieddine (48), a father of three who holds French citizenship, said with a choking voice.