Seven countries have urged their citizens to leave Lebanon amid growing fears of an all-out war between Israel and the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah.
A new war is raging in the Middle East. Israel has been invading the Palestinian territory of Gaza for almost 9 months. And since the beginning of this invasion, there has been tension between the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah and Israel.
Seven countries have urged their citizens to leave Lebanon amid growing fears of a full-scale war between Israel and the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah, it said. In addition, five other countries have advised their citizens to refrain from traveling to Lebanon at this time.
The Saudi embassy in Beirut on Saturday urged its citizens in Lebanon to “immediately leave Lebanese territory” and stressed the need to “keep in touch with their embassy in any emergency”.
On the other hand, last Friday Australia “strongly advised” its citizens not to travel to Lebanon, citing the highly volatile security situation. Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong has called on Australians in Lebanon to leave the country immediately.
In addition, in a post on social media platform X, the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs advised its citizens not to travel to Lebanon. It has also urged those living there to leave the country while commercial flights remain open.
The German Foreign Ministry also issued a travel warning and asked its citizens staying in Lebanon to leave the country. “The situation on the border between Israel and Lebanon is very tense,” Germany insisted.
The Canadian government also urged its citizens in Lebanon to leave the country amid rising tensions along the Lebanon-Israel border. “The safety and security of Canadians at home and abroad is Canada’s highest priority,” Foreign Minister Melanie Joly of the North American country said in a statement on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, North Macedonia also asked its citizens to leave the country as soon as possible due to the worsening security situation in Lebanon.
Earlier on June 22, Kuwait urged its citizens to avoid traveling to Lebanon and those inside the country to leave as soon as possible “in view of the regional security situation”. After that, these warnings and instructions came forward one by one.
Countries asking citizens not to travel to Lebanon
On June 5, the US Embassy in Beirut instructed American citizens in Lebanon to avoid traveling to areas bordering Israel and Syria. In addition, the UK also issued a strict warning to its citizens last Wednesday not to travel to Lebanon.
“Due to the risk of conflict between Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory, the FCDO advises against all travel to Lebanon,” the country’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said in a statement.
In addition, Russian ambassador to Lebanon Alexander Rudakov urged Russian citizens to wait until the situation in the Middle Eastern country calms down from traveling to the country. However, he also emphasized that there is no reason for serious panic at the moment.
He also said that the diplomatic missions are continuing to function normally and necessary security measures are being taken for the embassy staff.
The Irish Ministry of Foreign Affairs also advised against travel to certain areas of Lebanon and urged Irish nationals currently in the country to exercise the utmost caution. Also, last Friday, Jordan advised its citizens not to travel to Lebanon, citing ongoing events in the region.
Hezbollah has been exchanging fire with the Israeli army across Lebanon’s southern border, mainly because of the war in Gaza. The armed group says it is firing rockets into Israel to support its ally Hamas and to deter Israel from launching an attack on Lebanon.
