Foreigners urged to leave Lebanon as war fears grow

Several countries have urged their citizens to leave Lebanon over fears of a wider conflict in the Middle East.

Iran has vowed “severe” retaliation against Israel, which it blames for the death of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran on Wednesday. Israel has yet to comment.

His assassination came hours after Israel killed senior Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr in Beirut.

Western officials fear that Hezbollah, an Iran-backed militia and political movement based in Lebanon, could play a key role in any such retaliation, which could trigger a severe response from Israel.

Diplomatic efforts by the United States and other Western countries continue to try to de-escalate tensions across the region.

More and more flights are being canceled or delayed at the country’s only commercial airport in Beirut.

The United States, Britain, Australia, France, Canada, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Japan, Turkey and Jordan are among the countries that have urged their citizens to leave Lebanon as soon as possible.

Fears of an escalation of hostilities that could engulf Lebanon are at their highest since Hezbollah began attacks on Israel, a day after a deadly Hamas attack on southern Israel on October 7, in support of Palestinians in Gaza.

Most of the violence has been confined to the border area, with both sides expressing no desire to prolong the conflict.

However, Hezbollah has vowed to respond to Shukr’s assassination, which took place in Dahiyeh, the group’s stronghold in Beirut’s southern suburbs.

The incident comes after 12 children and teenagers were killed in an attack on the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, which Israel blamed on Hezbollah.

On Sunday, Hezbollah launched dozens of rockets at the town of Beit Hillel in northern Israel at around 00:25 local time (21:25 GMT Saturday).

Footage posted on social media showed Israel’s Iron Dome air defense system intercepting the missiles. There were no reports of casualties.

The Israeli air force responded by attacking targets in southern Lebanon.

In a separate incident on Sunday morning, two people were killed in a knife attack in the Israeli city of Holon. The attacker was later “neutralized”, police said.

Also on Sunday, officials from the Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza said an Israeli airstrike hit a tent inside a hospital, killing at least five people. Officials said 19 Palestinians were killed on Sunday.

In a statement on Saturday, the US embassy in Beirut said those choosing to stay in Lebanon should “prepare contingency plans” and be prepared to “shelter in place for an extended period of time.”

The Pentagon said it was deploying additional warships and fighter jets to the region to help protect Israel from possible attacks by Iran and its proxies, a strategy similar to the one adopted in April, when Iran launched more than 300 missiles and drones at Israel in retaliation for an attack on its diplomatic compound in Syria.

The country blamed Israel for that attack.

Many fear Iran’s retaliation this time could come in a similar fashion.

Britain said it would send additional military personnel, consular staff and border guards to assist with the evacuation.

The agency has urged British citizens to leave Lebanon while commercial flights are still operating.

Two British military ships are now in the area and the Royal Air Force has put transport helicopters on standby.

British Foreign Secretary David Lammy said the situation in the region “could deteriorate rapidly”.

In a phone call with EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell on Friday, Iran’s acting foreign minister Ali Baqeri Kani said Iran “will certainly use its legitimate and inherent right” to “punish” Israel.

On Friday, an announcer on Iranian state television warned that “the world will witness extraordinary scenes.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned Israelis that “challenging days are ahead… We have heard threats from all sides. We are prepared for all scenarios”.

Tensions escalated after a rocket attack on a football stadium in the occupied Golan Heights killed 12 children and teenagers.

Israel blamed Hezbollah and vowed to retaliate “severely”, although Hezbollah denied involvement.

Days later, Shukr, a close adviser to Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, was killed in a targeted Israeli airstrike in Beirut. Four others, including two children, were also killed.

Hours later, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, a key supporter of Hamas, was assassinated in Iran. He was visiting to attend the inauguration of Iran’s new president, Masoud Pezeshkian.

Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said Israel would face “severe punishment” for the killing.

Haniyeh’s assassination dealt a blow to talks on a ceasefire and a hostage release deal in Gaza, the main hope for easing tensions along the Lebanon-Israel border.

The war began in October when Hamas launched an unprecedented attack on Israel, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 others back to Gaza as hostages.

The attack sparked a massive Israeli military response, killing at least 39,480 Palestinians in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry.