Israel-Gaza war: US, UK, Germany urge citizens leave Lebanon amid border tension

The US and British embassies in Beirut on Thursday advised citizens to leave Lebanon while flights “remain available” as border tensions between Israel and Hezbollah intensify over Israel’s war with Hamas.

Hezbollah – an Islamist political and militant group with close links to Iran – and allied Palestinian factions have been trading daily cross-border fire with Israel after Hamas launched a massive October 7 assault on southern Israel from Gaza, killing more than 1,400 people, mostly civilians.

Tel Aviv’s retaliatory air strikes on Gaza have killed at least 3,500 people, also mostly civilians, according to officials in the Hamas-run enclave.

The US and UK had already warned citizens against travel to Lebanon but on Thursday the US recommended “that citizens in Lebanon make appropriate arrangements to leave the country; commercial options currently remain available”, an embassy statement said.

A similar warning was issued by the British embassy which said: “If you are currently in Lebanon, we encourage you to leave now while commercial options remain available.”

“British nationals should exercise caution and avoid areas where demonstrations may be held,” it added.

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Rami Mortada, Lebanon’s ambassador to the UK, said the Israeli-Hamas conflict is “out of everybody’s hands” and has the “potential to spill into a regional conflict”, telling Times Radio that “if the situation in Gaza worsens, it would be very difficult to contain the conflict in its original theatre of operation”.

Germany has also called on its citizens to leave Lebanon.

On Tuesday, the US State Department raised its travel advisory for Lebanon from level three to four, the highest level available.

It authorised non-essential embassy personnel and their families to leave their embassy citing the unpredictable security situation due to the Israel-Gaza war.

Many Arab and Western countries have already encouraged their nationals to avoid travel to Lebanon or leave, with Saudi Arabia on Wednesday urging its citizens to leave “immediately” and Kuwait also warning against travelling to Lebanon.

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France, Canada and Australia have also warned against travel there, while Spain has advised against non-essential travel.

Cross-border tensions have killed at least 21 people in Lebanon, according to an AFP tally, mostly combatants but also three civilians, including a Reuters journalist.

At least three people have been killed on the Israeli side.

Since Tuesday, like in many Arab capitals, demonstrators have taken to the streets of Beirut and its suburbs, including near the American and French embassies, to protest against a deadly strike on a Gaza hospital.