Sawt Falasteen - Relief as Lebanon evacuees dock in Turkey

"The situation is very bad back in Beirut. My kids were very scared. We are the lucky ones," Esra Gongu, a mother in her thirties told AFP on disembarking from the TCG Bayraktar which docked at 9:00 pm (1800 GMT) after a 13-hour journey.

A second boat, the TCG Sancaktar, was to land at midnight, officials said.

Between them, they were carrying 966 refugees who had asked the Turkish embassy to be evacuated amid escalating Israeli bombardments in Lebanon's south and east and bombardments of Beirut's southern suburbs.

"It was a long and exhausting journey but we will be at peace here," said Ismail Baysal, who was planning to travel to Istanbul with his family.

"It was not easy in Beirut. Israel drops bombs every day. The noises went on uninterrupted until 4:00 am," he told AFP.

But he insisted he would "go back to Lebanon once this war is over."

- Beirut under bombardment -

At the port, soldiers could be seen helping the passengers disembark, one carrying a crying toddler, while another pushed a boy in a wheelchair.

Still others helped the elderly or carried bags, an AFP correspondent said.

Turkey's foreign ministry said some 2,500 people had signed up to leave but only "around 1,000 turned up" with some changing their minds "at the last minute".

"We lived under the threat of bombs with no food, no electricity. They hit the buildings," said a woman in her 40s called Sevim Abu Shakir, from the southern Lebanese port of Sidon.

Several hours after the boats left, Israel pounded central Beirut with a deadly air strike which left 22 dead and more than 115 wounded, Lebanon's health ministry said.

- More evacuations if necessary -

A young woman wearing a headscarf told AFP she was very worried about relatives who had stayed behind in Beirut.

"Lebanon is a small country. Beirut is no longer safe. A few moments ago there were strikes. I still have relatives back there and it is very dangerous," Safa Coskun told AFP.

"I am happy Turkey has not abandoned us."

Turkey is estimated to have 14,000 citizens registered with its consulate in Lebanon and has pledged to carry out more evacuations if necessary.

Its embassy said Wednesday preparations were under way to organise "a limited number of flights for a fee" with foreign ministry sources also pledging to send more ships "if necessary".

Israel and Lebanese militant group Hezbollah have exchanged near-daily fire on the country's southern border since the start of the Gaza war a year ago.

Israel has intensified its strikes against Hezbollah since September 23, killing more than 1,200 people in Lebanon and displacing more than a million from their homes, UN figures show.

S.Barghouti--SF-PST