North Macedonia calls on its citizens to leave Lebanon due to worsening security situation

By Talha Ozturk

BELGRADE, Serbia (AA) - North Macedonia urged its citizens on Sunday to leave Lebanon as soon as possible due to the worsening security situation there.

The Foreign Ministry called on citizens who are in Lebanon to leave at the first possible opportunity.

At the same time, it appealed to citizens to postpone all non-essential travel to Lebanon.

The ministry said the situation could deteriorate further, reducing the chance to leave the country in a timely manner.

The Israeli military approved operational plans last Tuesday for a wide-scale attack on Lebanon amid rising border tensions with the Lebanese group Hezbollah.

Hezbollah may launch a preemptive strike against Israel, according to media reports.

Tensions have soared along Lebanon's border with Israel amid cross-border attacks between Hezbollah and Israeli forces as Tel Aviv presses ahead with its deadly offensive on the Gaza Strip, which has killed more than 37,500 people since the Israel-Hamas war broke out on Oct. 7 last year.

Hezbollah links the cessation of its attacks on Israel to the end of Israel's onslaught on Gaza.