The US embassy in Beirut, Lebanon has told their citizens to “leave Lebanon as soon as possible” and they are closely monitoring the situation on the ground.
US citizens have been told to leave the country and warned to do so whilst “commercial options are still available.”
The US embassy said, “We recommend that US citizens who choose not to depart prepare contingency plans for emergency situations.”
This follows the 17 October statement issued by the US State Department strongly advising citizens not to travel to Lebanon amid the “unprecedented security situation” unfolding as Hezbollah are attacking parts of northern Israel.
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Saudi Arabia has also called on “all citizens” to leave Lebanon “immediately” as fears grow Israel could attack the country in response to Hezbollah skirmishes.
This comes as Israel has conducted more airstrikes on the Iranian backed Hezbollah after the Lebanese militant group fired dozens of anti-tank guided missiles, rockets and mortars at Israeli military positions.
Israeli Defence Forces spokesman Brigadier General Daniel Bagri said in a statement on Thursday, “In the northern sector, air force aircraft attacked military positions of the Hezbollah terrorist organisation along the Lebanese border overnight.
“Among them is also the position from which the anti-tank missiles were launched at Rosh Hankara yesterday in Tzuhorim.”
Angry protests are ongoing across Lebanon including the capital Beirut, and the southern cities of Sidon and Tyre in Lebanon at Palestinian refugee camps anger flared up to condemn the hospital attack to which Hamas claims killed more than 500 people on Tuesday evening.
The leader of Hamas Ismail Haniyeh called on all Palestinian people to “get out and confront the occupation and the settlers.”
Haniyeh has directly blamed the US who hold “the responsibility of the hospital attack because of the cover it gives to Israeli aggression.”
The Hamas leader said it was a “massacre” and warned that this is a “new turning point” in the conflict in the Middle East.
Haniyeh added, “Anyone who supports Israel is responsible for the violations in Gaza.
“If the enemy thinks that these massacres will hide his great defeat or force our people to surrender, he is mistaken.”
There has also been protests across the Arab world in the aftermath of the hospital attack with demonstrators taking to the street in Turkey, Jordan, Lebanon and the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah.
Footage has shown protests in Yemen’s southwestern city of Taz, Iraq’s capital Baghdad and in Rabat, Morocco’s capital.
