Germans advised to leave Lebanon swiftly as war winds blow north

Germany is urging its citizens to leave Lebanon quickly, warning that the Israel-Hamas war could expand after a strike in Beirut killed a senior Hamas leader.

“All German citizens, who are still in Lebanon, are asked to register on the ELEFAND crisis preparedness list and to leave the country as quickly as possible,” writes the German foreign ministry on X, formerly known as Twitter.

The warning comes after a meeting Wednesday of the German government’s crisis unit.

“A further deterioration of the situation and expansion of the conflict cannot be ruled out, especially given the killing of Saleh al-Arouri,” the political number two of Hamas in Beirut on Tuesday, the ministry writes. “This applies above all to the southern part of Lebanon, up to and including the southern urban areas of Beirut.”