7 countries urge citizens to leave Lebanon amid fears of war with Israel

By Rania Abu Shamala

ISTANBUL (AA) - Seven countries have called on their nationals to leave Lebanon amid growing fears of a full-blown war between Israel and the Lebanese group Hezbollah, while five more countries have advised their citizens to refrain from traveling to Lebanon at this time.

The Saudi Embassy in Beirut urged Saturday its citizens currently in Lebanon “to depart the Lebanese territory immediately” and emphasized the necessity for them “to stay in touch with the embassy in case of any emergencies.”

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

The Dutch Foreign Ministry on X urged its citizens to avoid travel to Lebanon and those who live there to leave as commercial flights are still operating.

German Foreign Ministry also issued a travel warning and asked its citizens in Lebanon to leave the country, emphasizing that “the situation at the border between Israel and Lebanon is very tense.”

The Canadian government also urged its nationals in Lebanon to leave the country amid an escalation of tensions along the Lebanese-Israeli border.

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

North Macedonia also asked its citizens on Sunday to leave Lebanon as soon as possible due to the worsening security situation there.

The warning came after Kuwait urged its citizens on June 22 to avoid travel to Lebanon and those inside the country to leave as soon as possible “in view of the security situation taking place in the region."

- Countries advisory against travel

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

The UK strongly advised its citizens Wednesday against all travel to Lebanon.

“FCDO advises against all travel to Lebanon due to 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, emphasizing that right now "there are no reasons for serious panic," adding that the diplomatic mission continues to operate normally and takes the necessary security measures for its employees.

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

Jordan on Friday strongly advised its citizens not to travel to Lebanon, citing the ongoing developments in the region.

Tensions have risen along Lebanon's border with Israel amid cross-border attacks between Lebanese group Hezbollah and Israeli forces as Tel Aviv pressed ahead with its deadly offensive on the Gaza Strip, which has killed over 37,800 people since October following an attack by the Palestinian group Hamas.​​​​​​​