Middle East Special: Australian evacuation thrown into chaos

Plans to evacuate hundreds of Australians from Lebanon were thrown into chaos when another country gazumped Australia for the use of a Turkish ferry chartered to take them to safety.

Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said Australia's booking had been gazumped by another nation. However, because of security concerns over the port in Beirut, the ship never arrived.

"The ship that we originally thought we had chartered, that we were gazumped on, actually hasn't even come to Beirut in the end," he told ABC television (ABC= Australian Broadcasting Corporation)