By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
The US Navy said the cruise ship Orient Queen left Cyprus for Beirut Tuesday to begin evacuating Americans from Lebanon.
The cruise ship, escorted by a US destroyer, was to begin evacuating some of the 25,000 Americans in Lebanon, joining US military helicopters that have ferried a few dozen US citizens to a British base on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus.
According to the Pentagon, the Orient Queen can carry 750 people at a time. A US Navy destroyer, the USS Gonzales, will be available to escort the Orient Queen, according to the Pentagon.