Tehran, February 28: Iran’s Foreign Ministry has sent an airplane to the Libyan capital Tripoli to repatriate Iranian nationals residing in the North African country.
The Iranian Airbus will land in Tehran’s Imam Khomeini International Airport in the early hours of Monday, the ministry said in a statement on Sunday.
Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said on Saturday Tehran supports the Libyan people’s movement and expressed the Islamic Republic’s readiness to send humanitarian aid to the country.
“Now that the rising wave of Islamic awakening has swept across Libya, vigilance and unity among all people for the complete realization of all demands and national objectives is more necessary than ever,” Mehmanparast said.
Earlier on the day, forces loyal to Libyan ruler Muammar Gaddafi heavily bombarded pro-democracy protesters in Tripoli.
The embattled regime has recently used aerial attacks and poison gas against the protesters.
According to some reports, at least 1,000 people have been killed in Tripoli, partly in airstrikes conducted by the Libyan military in a desperate move to quell the popular revolution.
Meanwhile, the UN Security Council has imposed sanctions on the Libyan regime and has referred Gaddafi to the International Criminal Court.
——–Agencies