The United States
has reaffirmed its warning against travel to Lebanon due to the escalating
conflict between Hezbollah and Israel,
as concerns intensify about the conflict escalating into a full-scale war.
The US embassy in
Beirut issued a stern advisory for citizens to "strongly reconsider travel
to Lebanon", citing the volatile security environment that "remains
complex and can change quickly."
According to The
National, which referred to NBC’s intel gathered from past and present
defense officials, the US is repositioning some naval assets nearer to Israel
and Lebanon in anticipation of the need for military-assisted evacuations of Americans
if the conflict worsens.
Additionally, an
official noted that the presence of these ships aims to serve as a deterrent
against further escalation.
This week has seen
numerous nations urging their citizens to leave Lebanon.
Jordan's foreign
ministry advised its nationals against traveling to Lebanon via a post on the
social media platform X.
Similarly, Germany
and the Netherlands have called for their citizens to exit Lebanon amid
intensifying hostilities. Canada, North Macedonia and Kuwait who have already
issued similar advisories due to increasing tensions along the Lebanon-Israel
border.
France, a
significant diplomatic player in Lebanon, expressed deep concern over the
severity of the situation.
Earlier this
month, the US embassy in Beirut had already cautioned American citizens to steer
clear of the Lebanon-Israel border, the Lebanon-Syria border and refugee
settlements. This advisory was reiterated on Thursday, urging citizens to
"strongly reconsider travel to Lebanon".
In a related
development, Hezbollah announced on Thursday that it launched
"dozens" of rockets at a northern Israeli military base in a retaliatory
action against recent Israeli airstrikes that resulted in the death of four of
its fighters. The attack targeted "the main air and missile defense base
of the [Israeli] northern area command," as per Hezbollah's statement.
The Israeli
military confirmed that about "35 launches were identified crossing from
Lebanon" with air defenses "successfully intercepting most of the
launches". No injuries were reported from this incident.
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