Japan evacuates 16 people from conflict-hit Lebanon by SDF plane

Why didn’t they leave on commercial flights?

It’s not as if there wasn’t enough time to do so.

How much did that cost us?

Commercial flights out of Lebanon have been halved in numbers and are highly unstable with frequent and numerous cancellations. This situation is expected to worsen as the war progresses. Consequently, the US, UK, Canada, Netherlands, China, Japan and Colombia have at present arranged for military evacuation flights.

The FO advice from the UK was to leave more than a week ago…

They can't leave if there are no planes. Foreign planes flying into a war zone.

That was well worth sending two C-2’s to pick up 11 Japanese nationals, Excellent use of tax payers money.

Many complains, but if the government was doing nothing, the same would complain.

It is normal the government does send a plane in such a situation to help its own citizens to move if they want. And in terms of taxes used for that, it is nothing and certainly nothing compared to the high defense budget.

‘I'm ok with it. Glad they're safe.’

I’m glad they’re safe but you could have hired a private jet and flown them back to Japan (rather than Jordan where they’ve been taken) for less than the cost of the fuel to get 2 C-2’s to Jordan.