More than 400 Australians have been evacuated from Lebanon to Cyprus amid escalating violence

More than 400 Australians have fled Lebanon on two government-backed charter flights to Cyprus – and many more are set to evacuate.

There were smiles, Australian chants and tears as passengers disembarked at Larnaca airport on Saturday.

Georges Challita has been working in Lebanon for the past three years.

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He left his family there because they don’t have a valid visa.

“Honestly, it’s a bittersweet moment. My family is back in Lebanon, but I need to be safe and do what’s best for me, and hopefully things will get better for everyone there. It’s a bit sad.” said Challita.

Mother-of-three Ikhlas Estephan says she feels guilty for leaving.

“I just felt, why is my life more valuable than other people?” she said.

“We are very grateful to the Australian government because we know our lives matter, and it is such an incredible country, but there are parts of the world that their lives are not worth… and it hits you.”

But she added that she is “very relieved. I felt like we were away from the war.”

Australian authorities had booked 500 seats for stranded Australians and 229 arrived on the first flight and 178 on the second.

Many more will follow in the coming days, with 3,088 people currently registered to get out.

As violence escalates in the Middle East, the government has confirmed that two more flights will fly from Lebanon to Cyprus on Sunday.

“Now it’s time to leave. Please be prepared to leave at short notice,” Foreign Minister Penny Wong wrote on social media.

“Australians in Lebanon should register with DFAT’s crisis portal or call the 24-hour Consular Emergency Center on +61 2 6261 3305 (overseas) or 1300 555 135 (Australia),” she said.