The Requirement

A senior technology executive was living in Beirut with her family as regional tensions escalated and strikes and unrest increased during the conflict involving the United States, Israel and Iran. As the situation developed, the immediate requirement was to provide practical support at the family’s residence while the operating environment was assessed.

A local team was deployed with essential supplies and to provide additional support and security around the residence. Within 24 hours, conditions had deteriorated further and the decision was made to move the family out of Lebanon. The situation presented an immediate logistical challenge. Lebanese airspace had closed, making commercial aviation unavailable. An alternative route therefore had to be established.

Our Approach

Stratum Global Risk’s local team coordinated the family’s movement from Beirut by road towards Jordan. The response had to move away from the original assumption that the family could leave by air and establish a viable overland route instead. The local team remained central to the operation, providing support at the residence, responding as conditions changed and coordinating the subsequent cross-border movement. The evacuation was therefore managed as a continuous operation rather than a series of disconnected arrangements. As the situation changed, the transportation solution changed with it.

The Outcome

The family was safely transported by road from Beirut to Jordan, completing their evacuation from Lebanon after the closure of Lebanese airspace made commercial air travel unavailable. The operation demonstrated the importance of being able to adapt an evacuation plan when the original route is no longer possible. What began as local support at the family’s residence developed into a cross-border evacuation operation within a matter of hours.

When the Original Route Is No Longer Available

Emergency evacuation is rarely as simple as following a predetermined plan. Airspace can close. Commercial flights can stop operating. Border conditions can change. A route that was viable earlier in the day may no longer be appropriate when the decision to move is made. In these circumstances, the value of an operational response lies in its ability to reassess the available options and turn an alternative into a workable plan. In this case, the solution was not to wait for aviation to become available again. It was to establish an overland route from Beirut into Jordan and coordinate the movement accordingly.

Operational Capability

Stratum Global Risk supports organisations, executives and internationally mobile personnel with emergency evacuation, crisis response, travel risk management and complex transportation requirements. Our regional capability combines local knowledge with access to wider operational and transportation networks, allowing solutions to be developed around the circumstances rather than relying on a single predetermined route.

Lebanon Travel Risk Management  | Medical & Travel Assistance | Embedded Consulting