Over 18,000 Lebanese citizens enter Iraq amid Israeli onslaught

By Laith Al-Jnaidi

AMMAN, Jordan (AA) – More than 18,000 Lebanese citizens have entered Iraq since the start of Israeli airstrikes on Lebanon in late September, Iraqi authorities said on Sunday.

“Efforts are underway to receive Iraq’s guests from Lebanese citizens in batches,” Alaa al-Din al-Qaisi, a spokesman for Iraq’s Border Ports Authority, said in statements carried by the official news agency INA.

He said the influx follows orders from Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani to allow visa-free entry for Lebanese citizens.

The spokesman said over 18,000 Lebanese nationals have arrived in Iraq since Sept. 27.

A massive Israeli air campaign in Lebanon has been ongoing since late September against what it claims are Hezbollah targets, an escalation in year-long cross-border warfare since the start of the Gaza war.

More than 3,100 people have been killed and over 13,800 injured in Israeli attacks since October 2023, according to Lebanese health authorities.

Israel launched a ground assault into southern Lebanon on Oct. 1.

*Writing by Ikram Kouachi