Evacuations to Rival Dunkirk

This interesting analogy is from the UK Times Online:

WHEN the Royal Navy warships arrive off Lebanon on Wednesday, they will be ready to mount the biggest evacuation of British citizens since the Second World War.
Although the Government has not yet decided to issue a “national evacuation order”, HMS Illustrious, the aircraft carrier, and HMS Bulwark, a new commando assault ship, have been sent to the Lebanese coast. They will use their helicopters and landing craft to take thousands of trapped British citizens off the beaches in Beirut if the order to evacuate is given...British nationals will be ferried off in landing craft and helicopters over several days. Those removed by ship are likely to be taken to Cyprus while negotiations continue to try to end the conflict. There are thought to be 10,000 British expatriates and 15,000 dual nationality residents in Lebanon...

Not only are British being taken off:

US reconnaissance teams arrived in the Lebanese capital last night to assess plans to evacuate some 20,000 Americans from Beirut. Canada said that it was sending commercial ships to evacuate the 16,000 citizens who are registered with its embassy in Beirut.

Thankfully, it is peaceful evacuation of civilians, rather the Army under attack by the German Luftwaffe as during WW2.