Western governments step up calls for citizens to leave Lebanon

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Western governments stepped up calls for their citizens to leave Lebanon while commercial flights are still allowed as an all-out regional war threatens an anxious region following stabbings in Beirut and Tehran.

France urged its citizens to leave the country as soon as possible due to the “very unstable security situation”, following similar calls from Britain, the United States and Jordan on Saturday, citing rising tensions between Israel, Iran and the Hezbollah militant group.

“We encourage those who wish to leave Lebanon to book any available flight, even if that flight is not immediately available or on their chosen itinerary,” the U.S. Embassy in Lebanon said in an email to its citizens.

“Leave now,” British Foreign Secretary David Lammy told Britons in Lebanon. “Tensions are running high and the situation could deteriorate rapidly … My message to British nationals there is clear.”

Sweden closed its embassy in Beirut on Saturday and called on all Swedes to leave the country as soon as possible.

This week, multiple airlines suspended, rescheduled or cancelled flights to and from Beirut, including Air France-KLM, Kuwait Airways, Lufthansa Group, Aegean Airlines, Emirates and Qatar Airways. Some airlines have suspended flights to Israel.

Israel has publicly claimed responsibility for the assassination of senior Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr in a densely populated neighborhood in Beirut, the Lebanese Hezbollah stronghold, but has neither confirmed nor denied the killing of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran on Wednesday.

Iran said Haniyeh was killed by a short-range projectile that hit the Tehran residence where he lived, and vowed to punish Israel.

The country’s Revolutionary Guards said on Saturday that the assassination “Meticulously planned and executed” by Israel and accused the “criminal” United States of complicity in the attack by providing support to the Jewish state.

Lebanon’s Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah also vowed to retaliate against Israel.

Cross-border fighting between Israel and Lebanese militant groups has intensified since a Hamas attack on Oct. 7. But the simmering conflict has not yet escalated into a full-blown conflict, partly because of U.S.-led diplomatic efforts to curb the violence and partly because neither foes is willing to provoke a conflict that could destroy both countries.

The two sides have stepped up diplomatic efforts over the past week to try to avert a regional war, while the United States has also sent more troops to the region to help defend Israel.

But Hezbollah affiliates Slams US envoy He has been working for months to broker a deal between Hezbollah and Israel to end the conflict and has blamed Washington for Shukr’s assassination, highlighting the challenges the United States faces in easing tensions.

The Lebanese militant group was “in no mood to listen” and said it would respond in any way and at any time it wanted, according to two people briefed on the negotiations.

Many Lebanese who have the choice have left the capital for areas considered safer. Those who remain packed concert venues, restaurants and bars this weekend, unsure what to do while they wait out war.

“I struggled with myself for hours about whether to go out or stay home, but in the end I decided to have a drink or two, which would help me calm down,” said Selim Georges, 42, sitting in a popular Beirut restaurant on Sunday.

Calls from Western governments to leave Lebanon this weekend heightened fears in the country as thousands of Lebanese expatriates returning home for the summer holidays debated whether to stay or go.

France estimates that around 23,000 of its citizens live in Lebanon, with thousands more expected to visit the country this summer, while Britain estimates that around 16,000 British citizens currently live in Lebanon.