By Deutsche Welle
05 Aug 2024, 01:16 AM EDT
Spain, France, the United Kingdom, the United States, Romania, Canada, Australia, Sweden, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and other countries have called on their citizens to leave Lebanon immediately in the face of the risk of a possible attack by Iran and the Lebanese Shiite group Hezbollah against Israel.
The Spanish embassy in Beirut recommended on its social media account X not to travel to Lebanon “in the current situation”, and due to flight cancellations, it advised Spaniards who are in the country, especially if their stay is temporary, to leave it “using existing commercial means”.
Leave as soon as possible
The French Foreign Ministry has also called on its citizens to “make arrangements to leave Lebanon as soon as possible” as the situation is “very volatile”.
The British government has also urged its nationals still in the country to leave now while there are commercial routes to do so, given that the security situation could “deteriorate rapidly.”
In recent days, several airlines have suspended or postponed flights to and from Lebanon due to the escalation of tensions following the Israeli bombing in Beirut that killed Hezbollah’s top military commander, Fuad Shukr, and the assassination in Tehran of Hamas’ political leader, Ismail Haniyeh, attributed to Israel.
Bombing threats
In addition, the Israeli army bombed the interior and south of Lebanon last Sunday, in response to the Hezbollah attack that killed twelve children in the Druze town of Majdal Shams, in the Golan Heights.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has threatened Israel with “severe punishment” and Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah has spoken of an “inevitable response.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his country is “highly prepared for any scenario, both defensive and offensive.”
US supports Israel
The United States, Israel’s main ally, has announced a reinforcement of its military presence in the Middle East, in order, among other things, to “increase support for the defence of Israel”.
Other countries such as Canada, Australia, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Sweden, which closed its embassy in Beirut, have also asked their citizens to evacuate Lebanon, a country that only has one airport for commercial flights, the one in the capital, and which shares borders with Israel and Syria.
Keep reading:
- Hezbollah leader threatens to respond to Israeli bombing that killed top commander
- Iran holds funeral for Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh
- Netanyahu: Israel is ready for “any scenario”