Germany, Netherlands urge citizens to leave Lebanon for fear of war
They join growing list of countries urging people to leave while commercial flights are still an option, as Hezbollah ramps up attacks on Israel
Germany and the Netherlands urged their citizens to leave Lebanon on Wednesday, a day after Canada issued a similar warning in light of escalating tensions between Israel and the Hezbollah terror group.
Meanwhile, the majority of Western embassies – especially European missions – explored the Lebanese coast in recent days to identify potential sites from which to evacuate their citizens by sea should war break out, the Lebanese Al-Akhbar newspaper reported on Thursday.
In an updated travel warning on its website, the German Foreign Ministry stated that “the security situation in the region is highly volatile,” as clashes along the Israel-Lebanon border have intensified in recent weeks.
“A further escalation of the situation and expansion of the conflict cannot be ruled out,” the travel warning continued. “This applies in particular to the southern parts of Lebanon, including the southern urban areas of Beirut, and the Bekaa Valley, including the Baalbek-Hermel district.
“A further escalation could also lead to a complete suspension of air traffic from Rafiq Hariri Airport. Leaving Lebanon by air would then no longer be possible,” it added.
The updated travel warning was issued amid a visit by German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock to the region.
In Jerusalem on Tuesday, she said that Germany was “extremely concerned about the increase in violence at the northern border,” and stressed that international partners were “working hard on finding solutions that can prevent more suffering. The risk of an unintended escalation and of all-out war is growing by the day.”
She added that she would be visiting Beirut later in the week to impart the same message to the Lebanese government.
Deutsche in #Libanon werden dringend aufgefordert auszureisen. Die Lage an der Grenze zwischen #Israel & Libanon ist sehr angespannt. #Reisewarnung und Ausreiseaufforderung für Libanon wurden daher heute erneut verschärft: https://t.co/YZ5Ze4UIMc
— Auswärtiges Amt (@AuswaertigesAmt) June 26, 2024
Qatari special envoy Jassim Al Thani is due in Beirut to meet with Hezbollah, Amal, and Lebanese defense officials to try to de-escalate tensions with Israel, Al-Akhbar reported.
Since October 8, Hezbollah-led forces have attacked Israeli communities and military posts along the border on a near-daily basis, with the group saying it is doing so to support Gaza amid the war there.
So far, the skirmishes on the border have resulted in 10 civilian deaths on the Israeli side, as well as the deaths of 15 Israel Defense Forces soldiers and reservists. There have also been several attacks from Syria, without any injuries.
Hezbollah has named 349 members who have been killed by Israel during the ongoing skirmishes, mostly in Lebanon but some also in Syria. In Lebanon, another 64 operatives from other terror groups, a Lebanese soldier, and dozens of civilians have been killed.
Israel has said that while it hopes the matter can be resolved through a diplomatic agreement, it is prepared for all scenarios, including a major IDF offensive to push the Iran-backed terror group away from the border.
Like Germany, the Netherlands reiterated its call for citizens to leave Lebanon on Tuesday, should they have chosen to stay there after previous warnings.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs repeats the urgent call not to travel to Lebanon,” the foreign ministry wrote on X. “Are you still there? Leave the country while there are (still) commercial flights.”
Reisadvies #Libanon: het Ministerie van Buitenlandse Zaken herhaalt de dringende oproep om niet naar Libanon te reizen. Ben je er al? Verlaat het land nu er (nog) commerciële vluchten zijn. 1/3
— Ministerie van Buitenlandse Zaken (@MinBZ) June 26, 2024
According to the Dutch foreign ministry website, the entirety of Lebanon is currently classified as level red, or “do not enter.”
In comparison, in Israel only the Gaza border region and northern Israel are classified as red areas, with the remainder of the country considered orange, or “essential travel only.”
For Dutch citizens already in Lebanon, the foreign ministry urged them to “leave the country if it is safe to do so,” and warned that the longer people wait, the more difficulty they may have leaving.
The two EU member states have joined a growing number of countries urging their citizens to leave Lebanon as fears of all-out war grow. While many countries have had travel warnings in place since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas, they have reiterated them in recent weeks.
Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly called on Tuesday for Canadians to depart while commercial flights remain operational, saying that the situation “could deteriorate further without warning.”
Meanwhile, Kuwait was reported to have started evacuating its citizens from Lebanon earlier this week, a day after the Gulf state’s foreign ministry renewed its call to avoid traveling to the region due to “consecutive security developments.”
In Europe, North Macedonia similarly issued a call at the start of the week for its citizens to return home from Lebanon, and advised all non-essential travel there to be postponed.
