Seven countries call on their citizens to leave Lebanon for fear of war with Israel

ISTANBUL

Seven countries have urged their nationals to leave Lebanon as fears of a full-scale war between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah grow, while five other countries have advised their citizens to refrain from traveling to Lebanon at this time.

The Saudi embassy in Beirut on Saturday called on its citizens currently in Lebanon to “leave Lebanese territory immediately” and stressed that they must “stay in contact with the embassy in case of emergency.”

Australia on Friday “strongly” advised its citizens against travelling to Lebanon, citing the extremely unstable security situation. Foreign Minister Penny Wong urged Australians in Lebanon to leave the country immediately while commercial flights were still available.

The Dutch Foreign Ministry urged its citizens on X to avoid travel to Lebanon and asked those living there to leave the country as commercial air traffic continues.

The German Foreign Ministry also issued a travel warning and called on its citizens in Lebanon to leave the country. It stressed that “the situation on the border between Israel and Lebanon is very tense.”

In view of the escalating tensions on the Lebanese-Israeli border, the Canadian government also called on its Lebanese nationals to leave the country.

“The safety of Canadians at home and abroad is Canada’s highest priority,” Foreign Minister Melanie Joly said in a statement on Tuesday.

North Macedonia also called on its citizens on Sunday to leave Lebanon as soon as possible due to the deteriorating security situation.

The warning came after Kuwait on June 22 urged its citizens to avoid travel to Lebanon and those in the country to leave as soon as possible “given the security situation in the region.”

– Countries where travel is advised against

On June 5, the U.S. Embassy in Beirut advised American citizens in Lebanon to avoid travel to areas along the border with Israel and Syria.

Britain strongly advised its citizens on Wednesday against any travel to Lebanon.

“The FCDO advises against all travel to Lebanon due to the risks associated with the conflict between Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories,” the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said in a statement.

Russian Ambassador to Lebanon Alexander Rudakov urged Russians to wait until the situation in the country calms down. He stressed that there is currently “no reason for serious panic”. He added that the diplomatic mission continues its work normally and takes the necessary security measures for its employees.

The Irish Foreign Office also advised against travel to certain areas of Lebanon and urged all Irish citizens currently in the country to exercise extreme caution.

Jordan on Friday strongly advised its citizens against traveling to Lebanon, citing ongoing developments in the region.

Tensions along Lebanon’s border with Israel have escalated amid cross-border attacks between Lebanon’s Hezbollah and Israeli forces, while Tel Aviv continued its deadly offensive on the Gaza Strip that has killed more than 37,800 people since October following an attack by Palestinian Hamas.

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