UPDATE - Germany, Netherlands ask their citizens to leave Lebanon over rising regional tensions

UPDATES WITH STATEMENT FROM GERMAN FOREIGN MINISTRY, CHANGES HEADLINE, EDITS THROUGHOUT

By Anadolu staff

BERLIN / LONDON (AA) - The Dutch government on Wednesday issued an advisory asking its citizens to leave Lebanon due to the risk of further escalation of conflict in the region.

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

Mentioning how the current travel warning to the Mideast country is "red," it stressed the situation there remains very "unpredictable."

The Dutch Embassy may not be able to help its citizens if they get into trouble, it cautioned.

In a similar move, Germany issued a travel warning and asked its citizens who are currently in Lebanon to leave the country.

"Germans in Lebanon are urgently asked to leave the country. The situation at the border between Israel and Lebanon is very tense,” the ministry said on its X account.

It also warned that air traffic from Beirut Rafic Hariri Airport could be completely suspended in the event of further escalation, making it impossible to leave the country by air.

Tensions have risen along Lebanon's border with Israel amid cross-border attacks between Lebanese group Hezbollah and Israeli forces.

Many have expressed fear over a heated conflict with Lebanon as Tel Aviv presses ahead with its deadly offensive on the Gaza Strip, which has killed over 37,700 people since last October, following an attack by the Palestinian group Hamas.