The United States, along with Germany, the United Kingdom, and France, are urging their citizens to leave Lebanon as tensions escalate in the region between Israel and Hezbollah militants. This advisory comes in anticipation of an Israeli response to a reported Hezbollah rocket attack that killed 12 children in Israel on Saturday.
The U.S. State Department has issued a Level 3 travel advisory, advising U.S. citizens to reconsider travel to all of Lebanon, and a Level 4 advisory, urging citizens not to travel to southern Lebanon specifically. The U.S. Embassy in Beirut has recommended a "crisis plan of action" for U.S. citizens in Lebanon, advising them to leave before a crisis begins or be prepared to "shelter in place for long periods of time" if transportation is not available.
According to CNN, several airlines, including Air France, Royal Jordanian Airlines, Lufthansa, and Turkish Airlines, have suspended flights to Beirut due to security concerns. Middle East Airlines (MEA), Lebanon's national carrier, has also reported disruptions to its schedule related to insurance risks.
The Lebanese government has warned Israel about the ramifications of invading Lebanon. Lebanon's caretaker Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib told CNN that "war against Lebanon is a regional war" that would see other actors such as the Houthis and Iraqi militias get involved in fighting.
The Israeli Prime Minister's Office has responded to Hamas accusations that changing Israeli conditions were hampering a ceasefire and hostage deal. The PMO said that it was instead the Hamas leadership that was preventing an agreement.