Istanbul
Amid growing fears of all-out war between Israel and the Lebanese group Hezbollah, seven countries have called on their citizens to leave Lebanon, and a further five have advised their citizens not to travel to Lebanon at this time.
The Saudi Arabian Embassy in Beirut on Saturday urged its nationals currently in Lebanon to “immediately leave Lebanese territory” and stressed the need to “stay in contact with the embassy in case of any emergency.”
Australia on Friday “strongly advised” its citizens not to travel to Lebanon, citing the extremely volatile security situation. Foreign Minister Penny Wong urged Australians in Lebanon to leave the country immediately while commercial flights are still possible.
The Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the 10th urged its citizens not to travel to Lebanon and urged Dutch residents to leave the country, as commercial flights are still operating.
The German Foreign Ministry also issued a travel warning, urging German citizens in Lebanon to leave the country, and stressing that “the situation on the Israel-Lebanon border is extremely tense.”
The Canadian government has also asked its citizens in Lebanon to leave the country amid rising tensions along the Lebanese-Israeli border.
“The safety and security of Canadians at home and abroad is Canada’s top priority,” Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly said in a statement Tuesday.
North Macedonia also urged its citizens on Sunday to leave Lebanon as soon as possible, citing the deteriorating security situation.
The warning came after Kuwait on June 22 asked its citizens to avoid traveling to Lebanon and those already in the country to leave as soon as possible “in view of the security situation in the region.”
– Countries where travel is advised to be avoided
On June 5, the U.S. Embassy in Beirut advised U.S. citizens in Lebanon to avoid traveling to areas along the border with Israel and Syria.
Britain on Wednesday strongly advised its citizens not to travel to Lebanon.
“Due to the risks associated with the conflict in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories, the FCDO advises against all travel to Lebanon,” the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said in a statement.
Russia’s ambassador to Lebanon, Alexander Rudakov, urged Russian citizens to wait until the situation in Lebanon calms down, stressing that at the moment there is “no reason for serious panic,” adding that the diplomatic mission continues to operate normally and that it is taking the necessary measures to ensure the safety of its personnel.
The Irish Foreign Office also advised against travel to certain parts of Lebanon and urged Irish nationals currently in the country to exercise extreme caution.
Jordan on Friday strongly advised its citizens not to travel to Lebanon, citing the ongoing situation in the region.
Tensions have been rising along the Lebanon-Israel border amid a wave of cross-border attacks between the Lebanese group Hezbollah and Israeli forces, while Tel Aviv has launched deadly attacks on the Gaza Strip, where attacks by the Palestinian group Hamas have left more than 37,800 people dead since October.
The Anadolu Agency website contains in summary form only a portion of the news articles made available to subscribers on the AA News Broadcast System (HAS). Contact us to learn about subscription options.
Source link
