The United States began on Wednesday mass evacuation of its nationals from Lebanon as a cruise liner carrying more than 1,000 Americans left Beirut bound for Cyprus earlier in the day.

The Americans, fleeing besieged Lebanon because of the Israel- Hizbollah conflict, waved from the top decks of the cruise liner Orient Queen as its horn blew and it pulled out, while U.S. Ambassador Jeffrey Feltman saw them off, said witnesses.

It was the first large pullout by the United States since the Israel-Hizbollah conflict began more than a week ago, though small groups of Americans have been evacuated by helicopter since Sunday.

Some 25,000 U.S. citizens are currently in Lebanon, according to media reports.

Violence between Israel and Lebanon's Hizbollah erupted on July 12 when Hizbollah militia kidnapped two Israeli soldiers and killed eight others during an across-border attack.

Israel has intensified its military campaign in Lebanon, launching waves of airstrikes on Lebanese targets, killing over 250 Lebanese, most of them civilians.

Twenty-five Israelis have also been killed in the violence.

Thousands of foreign nationals are fleeing Lebanon, most of them by sea and land.

Source: Xinhua