Europe urges citizens to leave Lebanon due to Israel-Hezbollah fight

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European countries were urging their citizens to leave Lebanon amid growing tensions between the country and Israel.

Since Hezbollah’s attack on Majdal Shams on Saturday, tensions between Israel and Lebanon were on the rise. On Monday, Reuters reported that the German Foreign Ministry’s spokesperson “urgently” advised German citizens in Lebanon to leave the country ahead of a possible Israeli retaliation.

Following Germany, Britain on Tuesday also urged its citizens in Lebanon to leave the country, warning that tensions along the Israeli border could worsen quickly.

“There are frequent artillery exchanges and air strikes, tensions are high, and the situation could deteriorate rapidly,” Foreign Secretary David Lammy told parliament.

“I am working with foreign office consular teams to make sure we are prepared for all scenarios, but if this conflict escalates, the government cannot guarantee we will be able to evacuate everyone immediately. People may be forced to shelter in place.”

Israeli rescue forces seen at the site of a Hezbollah missile attack in the Druze village of Majdal Shams, July 27, 2024 (credit: MICHAEL GILADI/FLASH90)

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer chaired a meeting of the government’s emergency response committee, known as COBRA, on the matter earlier on Tuesday, Lammy said.

Australia joins the warnings

“My message to British nationals in Lebanon is, therefore, quite simple: leave,” Lammy said.

Following the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh on Wednesday morning and Iran’s ongoing threats of retaliation against Israel, on Thursday morning, Australia asked its citizens in Lebanon to leave immediately, saying there was a real risk that the tensions between Israel and Hezbollah could escalate seriously.

The request follows similar advisories by allies the United States and Britain this week.

“Now is the time to leave. The security situation could deteriorate quickly with little or no notice,” Foreign Minister Penny Wong said in a video posted on social media platform X, formerly Twitter, late on Wednesday.

Wong said Beirut airport could shut down completely if the situation worsens, potentially stranding people wishing to leave for “an extended period,” and urged Australians to use commercial flights while they operate.

The Middle East has been on the edge for months amid Israel’s war in Gaza.

Some 15,000 Australians reside in Lebanon, with the number rising by thousands during the country’s summer months of June to September, according to the Australian Foreign Affairs website. Around half a million Australians reported Lebanese ancestry in the 2021 census.

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