Spain sends first batch of humanitarian aid to Lebanon

A plane with the first batch of Spanish humanitarian aid for the war-hit Lebanese people left Spain on Tuesday, said Lola Martin Villalba, head of the technical board of the Spanish International Cooperation Agency (AECI).

The plane, after a stopover in Cyprus, will arrive in Beirut, capital of Lebanon, on Wednesday noon, he said.

On board were pediatricians, traumatologists, medicine, medical equipment, general cleaning utensils and food, he said.

The Spanish government has allocated 3 million euros (about 3.7 million U.S. dollars) to Lebanon as the humanitarian aid, said the AECI official, without confirming the date of follow-up shipment of the aid.

The conflict between Israel and Lebanon's Hezbollah erupted on July 12 when Israel started a retaliatory military offensive after Lebanese militia Hezbollah staged an incursion into Israeli territory, killing several soldiers and seizing two more.

At least 624 Lebanese people, most of them civilians, and 54 Israelis, 36 of them soldiers, have been killed in the conflict.

Source: Xinhua