Egypt Evacuates 4,000 People From Syria Egypt's Foreign Ministry says that Cairo has more evacuated more than 4,000 of its nationals and their family members from Syria over the past several months. The Sunday statement did not provide a more specific time frame for the evacuations. It cited one recent instance of 90 people, including Egyptian nationals and their Syrian spouses and children, who were given special passage through the Syria-Lebanon border before being taken to Beirut airport. Fighting has recently intensified around the Syrian capital. Egypt's national air carrier halted all flights to and from Syria late last month due to the deteriorating security situation around Damascus airport and the roads leading to it.