US marines have landed in Beirut to help American citizens as a mass evacuation from Lebanon gathers pace.
Three ships, chartered by different nations, docked in Cyprus late on Wednesday carrying hundreds of people.
Britain is now operating a regular naval shuttle service between Beirut and Cyprus.
More than 300 Russians have flown from Damascus to Moscow, and Germany has transported at least 500 people to Syria in a convoy of buses.
It is the first time in nearly 23 years that US forces have operated in Lebanon. They pulled out after Hezbollah guerrillas blew up their barracks in Beirut, killing 240 - the US military's single worst loss of life since World War II.
The first contingent of 40 marines went ashore at dawn on a landing craft from the troop carrier USS Nashville.
A total of 1,200 troops from the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit are being deployed as part of a massive land, sea and air operation to bring out thousands of Americans.
An official said the US had the capacity to evacuate 6,000 nationals over the next two days.
Meanwhile, Cypriot foreign minister George Lillikas has warned that Cyprus is filling up with evacuees and running out of room to house them.
He said his country would appeal to the European Commission for additional planes to fly evacuees from Lebanon back to their home countries.
FOREIGNERS IN LEBANON
Sri Lanka: 80,000
Canada: 40,000
Philippines: 30,000
Australia: 25,000
US: 25,000
UK: 22,000 (inc. 10,000 with dual nationality)
France: 20,000
Figures correct at start of conflict
"We are talking about a very, very big number of people - around 60,000 people - so if they stay in Cyprus even for a few days it will be a complicated and almost impossible task," he said.
"We've just used all the hotels we have... apartments. We now use schools. The best solution it seems is to have enough planes in Cyprus in order to evacuate immediately these people towards their countries."
A US-chartered cruise ship, the Orient Queen, arrived in Cyprus overnight with more than 1,000 people aboard, while more than 300 evacuees arrived on a French frigate.
The US state department estimates that some 25,000 US nationals are in Lebanon, France says it has 20,000 and Britain 22,000.
Many of these have dual nationality, and it is not clear how many want to leave.
But it is estimated that there are a further 80,000 Sri Lankans, 12,000 Indians and 30,000 Filipinos stranded in the country.
Canada has more foreign nationals in Lebanon than any other Western country.
Some 21,000 people are registered with the Canadian embassy in Beirut, but consular officials estimate that 40-50,000 Canadians are in the country.
The Canadian government has been severely criticised for its response to the crisis which has been seen as slow and poorly planned.
Nouha Fadlalla, who was on holiday in Lebanon with her husband and three children said they had found their own way back to Montreal.
"Bombs were around us," she said. "We tried to call the Canadian embassy, there was no answer, it was closed. So, on our own initiative, we bought tickets that we found finally, after a lot of work."
The criticism has put Canadian government ministers on the defensive. The country's Prime Minister, Stephen Harper, pointed out that there are many more Canadians to assist in Lebanon than other foreign nationals.
"There have been literally hundreds of federal employees who have been working day and night for the past several days to put in place the largest evacuation of Canadian citizens from another country in our history," he said.
Mr Harper has now promised to take more than 100 Canadians home on his government plane.
US marines aid mass evacuation
US marines have landed in Beirut to help American citizens as a mass evacuation from Lebanon gathers pace.
Three ships, chartered by different nations, docked in Cyprus late on Wednesday carrying hundreds of people.
Britain is now operating a regular naval shuttle service between Beirut and Cyprus.
More than 300 Russians have flown from Damascus to Moscow, and Germany has transported at least 500 people to Syria in a convoy of buses.
US contingent
It is the first time in nearly 23 years that US forces have operated in Lebanon. They pulled out after Hezbollah guerrillas blew up their barracks in Beirut, killing 240 - the US military's single worst loss of life since World War II.
The first contingent of 40 marines went ashore at dawn on a landing craft from the troop carrier USS Nashville.
A total of 1,200 troops from the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit are being deployed as part of a massive land, sea and air operation to bring out thousands of Americans.
An official said the US had the capacity to evacuate 6,000 nationals over the next two days.
Meanwhile, Cypriot foreign minister George Lillikas has warned that Cyprus is filling up with evacuees and running out of room to house them.
He said his country would appeal to the European Commission for additional planes to fly evacuees from Lebanon back to their home countries.
FOREIGNERS IN LEBANON
Sri Lanka: 80,000
Canada: 40,000
Philippines: 30,000
Australia: 25,000
US: 25,000
UK: 22,000 (inc. 10,000 with dual nationality)
France: 20,000
Figures correct at start of conflict
"We are talking about a very, very big number of people - around 60,000 people - so if they stay in Cyprus even for a few days it will be a complicated and almost impossible task," he said.
"We've just used all the hotels we have... apartments. We now use schools. The best solution it seems is to have enough planes in Cyprus in order to evacuate immediately these people towards their countries."
Stranded
A US-chartered cruise ship, the Orient Queen, arrived in Cyprus overnight with more than 1,000 people aboard, while more than 300 evacuees arrived on a French frigate.
The US state department estimates that some 25,000 US nationals are in Lebanon, France says it has 20,000 and Britain 22,000.
Many of these have dual nationality, and it is not clear how many want to leave.
But it is estimated that there are a further 80,000 Sri Lankans, 12,000 Indians and 30,000 Filipinos stranded in the country.
Canada has more foreign nationals in Lebanon than any other Western country.
Some 21,000 people are registered with the Canadian embassy in Beirut, but consular officials estimate that 40-50,000 Canadians are in the country.
The Canadian government has been severely criticised for its response to the crisis which has been seen as slow and poorly planned.
Nouha Fadlalla, who was on holiday in Lebanon with her husband and three children said they had found their own way back to Montreal.
"Bombs were around us," she said. "We tried to call the Canadian embassy, there was no answer, it was closed. So, on our own initiative, we bought tickets that we found finally, after a lot of work."
The criticism has put Canadian government ministers on the defensive. The country's Prime Minister, Stephen Harper, pointed out that there are many more Canadians to assist in Lebanon than other foreign nationals.
"There have been literally hundreds of federal employees who have been working day and night for the past several days to put in place the largest evacuation of Canadian citizens from another country in our history," he said.
Mr Harper has now promised to take more than 100 Canadians home on his government plane.