Federal Government aircraft takes off towards Lebanon to rescue Brazilians

The plane had already taken off at 12:38 pm this Saturday (5). The forecast was that landing in Beirut would take place around 11 am Brasília. The first stop of the new humanitarian operation in the Middle East expected to repatriate 220 Brazilians.

Upon return, the estimate was that the Brazilian Air Force KC-30 aircraft would make a technical stop in Lisbon. The landing in Brazil was scheduled for this Sunday, October 6, at the São Paulo Air Base, in Guarulhos (SP).

Around three thousand Brazilians in Lebanon had expressed interest in repatriation. Last Thursday, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mauro Vieira, explained the selection criteria: “Firstly, non-resident Brazilians. Soon after, Brazilian residents. And, within these two categories, what is established by law: elderly people, women, pregnant women, children, people with disabilities, sick in any way. Based on this, and with availability on the planes, we organized the list for this first flight”, he stated.

Reception – In the KC-30 crew, there was a multidisciplinary team with doctors, nurses and psychologists to guarantee reception and assistance. “We are here to support the crew and passengers, to mitigate the effects of this stress, of everything that causes people to deal with situations like this”, added Lieutenant Ingrid, psychologist.

Security – According to lieutenant colonel Marcos Fassarella Olivieri, the flight followed the profile of the 13 carried out in Operation Returning in Peace, which took place in 2023 to rescue almost 1,600 Brazilians and more than 50 domestic animals from conflict zones in Israel, Gaza Strip and West Bank. “We have the capacity to repatriate 220 people per flight, in addition to bringing their pets. It fills us with pride to participate in such an important mission, to be able to bring our compatriots from a war zone to a safe place”, said Olivieri.

Flexibility for pets – The Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock continued to relax the rules for the entry of dogs and cats accompanying repatriated citizens and refugees. The guidelines facilitated the process of entry of these animals into Brazil. The International Agricultural Surveillance (Vigiagro) units, together with the Transit Coordination and National Integration of Cargo and Passengers, adopted a special protocol for pets arriving from the Middle East. This procedure allowed guardians to enter with their pets without the immediate need to present the health documents required under normal conditions. “This flexibility was necessary so that the entry of animals could keep up with the urgency of humanitarian situations, preserving public health and animal welfare”, explained the general coordinator of Transit, Quarantine and Animal Certification at the ministry, Bruno Cotta.

Multiple functions – The KC-30 used in this first repatriation flight is a plane with around 240 seats, with a range of up to 14,500 kilometers, and has been used several times in humanitarian flights to rescue Brazilians in conflict zones in Israel and Gaza since the beginning of the crisis in the Middle East, in October 2023. At 59 meters long, it is the largest aircraft operated by the Brazilian Air Force, capable of use in strategic operations, logistical support and humanitarian missions. In cases of public calamity, such as natural disasters or medical emergencies, it can also carry out Aeromedical Evacuation missions (EVAM) to care for multiple patients.

What is it – Operation Cedro Roots was determined by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva after the intensification of the confrontation between Israel and the Hezbollah group, which operates in Lebanon. The repatriation logistics involved the use of Brazilian Air Force aircraft and servers, in addition to intense coordination work behind the scenes. Minister Mauro Vieira (Foreign Affairs) held talks with foreign ministers and representatives from Lebanon and neighboring countries to organize the rescue safely. Employees at the Brazilian embassy in Beirut maintained frequent contact with the Brazilian community in the region, estimated at around 20 thousand people, to detect the number of those interested in returning, organize the lists, guarantee the safe land travel of repatriates to the airport and monitor the shipment.