Around 600 UN staff arrives in Jordan after evacuation from Lebanon

About 600 nonessential United Nations staff and their families have arrived in Jordan after being evacuated from Lebanon as a result of the Israeli bombardment, local newspaper Jordan Times reported on Thursday.

The staff and their families, who are currently staying in hotels through out Jordan, will remain here until the UN headquarters decides their fate, UN spokeswoman Amal Tartir was quoted as saying.

The evacuation of UN staff began last Saturday as Israel escalated its air and sea attacks on Lebanon.

There are still a number of officials who are working in Lebanon and will remain there as long as the UN thinks it is safe for them to do so, Amal Tartir said.

The United Nations has more than 600 international staff and their dependents in Lebanon, along with 1,200 Lebanese staff and their dependents.

Nonessential staff are those whose work does not necessarily require them to remain in the country.

The spokeswoman, meanwhile, confirmed that none of the world body's staff in Lebanon have been injured.

According to a statement released by the UN, around 445 staff were evacuated on Tuesday, as another 130 have been moved to a safe area inside the country.

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.

Thousands of foreign nationals are fleeing Lebanon, most of them by sea and land, while Israel is intensifying its military campaign in Lebanon.

Source: Xinhua