US, Germany, France, and Britain urge citizens to leave Lebanon

Germany has urged its citizens to leave Lebanon as regional tensions escalate following a deadly rocket strike on the Golan Heights. The strike killed 12 children and teenagers in the Israeli-occupied town.

The German Foreign Office updated its travel advisory on Monday, warning that further escalation could cut off air travel. "A further escalation of the situation and expansion of the conflict cannot be ruled out," the Foreign Office stated. "This applies in particular to the southern parts of Lebanon, including the southern urban areas of Beirut."

The statement highlighted the potential for a complete suspension of air traffic from Rafiq Hariri Airport, making it impossible to leave Lebanon by air.

The travel warning follows ongoing Israeli strikes on villages in southern Lebanon, including an attack on the town of Shaqra that killed two people and injured three others. These strikes, however, were not considered a direct response to the weekend rocket attack but part of routine military operations.

Since October 8, violence has intensified across the border between Israeli troops and Hezbollah, the Lebanese paramilitary group.

Germany has also issued travel warnings for Israel and Palestine, joining other Western governments like the United States, Britain, and France in advising their citizens to leave Lebanon immediately or avoid travel there due to the escalating conflict.

In a video message on X, formerly Twitter, Rena Bitter, assistant secretary for consular affairs at the U.S. Embassy in Beirut, urged Americans in Lebanon to "create a crisis plan of action and leave before the crisis begins." She emphasized using regularly scheduled transportation while local infrastructure remains operational.

Airlines, including Lufthansa, Swiss International Air Lines, Air France, and Turkish Airlines, have already suspended flights to Beirut, citing security concerns.

Lebanon's caretaker foreign minister, Abdullah Bou Habib, acknowledged the government's limited ability to control Hezbollah but stressed ongoing communication efforts. "The choice to us always is through bad and worse," he said, noting that the prime minister and speaker are in constant negotiations with the group.

Hezbollah reported that two of its members were killed in an Israeli drone strike in southern Lebanon on Monday morning. Dania Koleilat Khatib, president of the Research Center for Cooperation and Peace Building in Beirut, noted the uncertainty surrounding Israel's potential targets in Lebanon. "Everyone is expecting a hit. The hit is coming," she told VOA, stressing the need for a cease-fire to prevent accidental war.

U.S. special envoy Amos Hochstein warned that a miscalculation could lead to major escalation, especially if Beirut is targeted. "A miscalculation or an accident could force either country to retaliate in a way that slides us into war," he said.

[Information sourced from Euronews, VOA]