A State Aviation Operator crew is standing by to fly to Lebanon as soon as the phased evacuation of the Bulgarians there is given a green light. This was reported to caretaker PM Dimitar Glavchev on Monday morning at a Council of Ministers meeting on the situation in Beirut.

• The government will gradually evacuate Bulgarians from Lebanon

The Foreign Ministry staff who are going to accompany the first group of evacuees have also been selected. At this time no Bulgarians returning with the organized flight have stated they are in need of accommodation but the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is ready to assist any such persons with the use of its facilities. Other options for evacuating the Bulgarians from Beirut are also being considered, including by land, the government stated. The Bulgarian citizens in Lebanon will most probably be evacuated in two flights on board the government airplane, caretaker Minister of Defence Atanas Zapryanov announced in Varna, as quoted by the Bulgarian news agency BTA.

"The night was not exactly peaceful, there were bombings again. The stress was huge, really. It's hard to explain what we're going through and, honestly, I wouldn't want anyone to go through it. It's hard," Bulgarian Anita Berro told BNR. She and her two children are among those waiting to leave the Lebanese capital.