Several Western governments, including the United States, the United Kingdom, and France, have urged their citizens to leave Lebanon immediately as tensions in the Middle East escalate following the assassination of Hamas’ political leader Ismail Haniyeh. Iran has accused Israel and the United States of being behind the killing.
Haniyeh was killed in Tehran on Wednesday, just hours after the Israeli assassination of Hezbollah’s military chief, Fuad Shukr, in Beirut. These events have triggered promises of retaliation from Iran and its allies within what is referred to as the “Axis of Resistance.” Hezbollah, a Lebanese group allied with Hamas, and the Israeli military have been engaged in cross-border attacks since Israel’s offensive against Gaza began in October, which was triggered by a rare attack by Hamas inside Israeli territory, resulting in approximately 1,139 deaths and around 240 abducted individuals.
Iran-backed groups from Lebanon, Yemen, Iraq, and Syria have already become involved in Israel’s nearly 10-month-long conflict with Gaza. However, the recent assassinations of Haniyeh and Shukr have heightened fears of a wider regional conflict.
On Saturday, the U.S. government announced it would send additional warships and fighter jets to the region and advised its citizens in Lebanon to leave the country “on any available ticket.” The U.S. Embassy in Beirut urged nationals to “prepare contingency plans” if they choose to remain and to be ready to “shelter in place” for an extended period.
The UK’s Foreign Office also advised its citizens in Lebanon to leave the country “now while commercial options are still available.” “Tensions are high, and the situation can deteriorate rapidly,” stated British Foreign Secretary David Lammy in a statement.
France’s Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs issued a travel advisory on Sunday urging its citizens in Lebanon to leave “as quickly as possible” due to the risk of military escalation.
The rising tensions have led major airlines, including KLM, Lufthansa, Emirates, Air France, Turkish Airlines, Singapore Airlines, and Swiss Airlines, to cancel flights to Israel, Iran, and Lebanon.
Ali Hashem of Al Jazeera reported from Beirut, noting that many Lebanese are immigrants, with some visitors there for a summer holiday. “With many airlines canceling flights and disruptions occurring, people want to leave as soon as possible before retaliation begins,” he added.
Additionally, the Lebanese Prime Minister has already stated that the country has the right to retaliate against any aggression. “Lebanon is currently a country without a president and only has a caretaker prime minister. Just as there are disruptions at the airport, there are also disruptions in the governance of this country,” Hashem said.
On Sunday morning, over 50 rockets were fired from southern Lebanon into northern Israel. Explosions were reported over Upper Galilee as Israel deployed its missile defense system to intercept the rockets. However, the Israeli Air Force simultaneously attacked several areas in southern Lebanon.
On the Palestinian side, Israel has also bombed tents housing displaced Palestinians in Gaza, resulting in numerous deaths and injuries. Reports indicate that over 39,550 Palestinians have been killed and 91,280 injured in Israel’s ongoing conflict against the besieged enclave of Gaza.