Western governments have stepped up calls for their citizens to leave Lebanon while commercial flights are still available, as an anxious region braced for the possibility of a full-blown regional war after twin assassinations in Beirut and Tehran.
France urged its citizens to leave the country as soon as possible owing to the “very volatile security context”, following similar calls by the UK, US and Jordan on Saturday, which cited the escalating tensions between Israel, Iran and the Hizbollah militant group.
“We encourage those wishing to leave Lebanon to book any available ticket, even if that flight does not depart immediately or does not follow the itinerary of their choice,” the US embassy in Lebanon said in an email to its citizens.
White House deputy national security adviser Jonathan Finer declined to comment on whether this advice meant the US believed Israel would strike inside the country soon. “We are preparing for whatever may come, but this is no prediction about future events,” Finer told CBS News.
“Leave now,” UK foreign secretary David Lammy told Britons in Lebanon. “Tensions are high, and the situation could deteriorate rapidly . . . my message to British nationals there is clear.”
On Sunday the UK said it was withdrawing the families of officials working at its embassy in Beirut. Sweden on Saturday closed its embassy there, calling on all Swedes to leave the country as soon as possible.
Several airlines have suspended, rescheduled or cancelled flights to and from Beirut this week, including Air France-KLM Group, Kuwait Airlines, Lufthansa Group, Aegean, Emirates and Qatar Airways. Some airlines suspended services to Israel.
Israel has publicly claimed responsibility for the assassination of senior Hizbollah commander Fuad Shukr in Beirut last week, but it has neither confirmed nor denied carrying out the killing of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran on Wednesday.
Iran said Haniyeh was killed by a short-range projectile that was fired into the official residence where he was staying in Tehran, and vowed to punish Israel.
The country’s Revolutionary Guards said on Saturday that the assassination was “orchestrated and executed” by Israel and accused the “criminal” US of complicity in the strike.
Hassan Nasrallah, leader of Lebanon-based Hizbollah, has also vowed revenge against Israel.
Israeli officials on Sunday attempted to calm a nervy public awaiting an imminent retaliation by Iran and its proxy forces.
“We are all enduring very tense and complex times. Our enemies, part of an axis of evil, have declared their intent to attack us soon with great force,” Israeli President Isaac Herzog said. “I do not underestimate the severity of this threat . . .[But] I unequivocally declare: the state of Israel is prepared to confront this threat.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in public remarks, warned that “anyone who harms us will pay a heavy price”.
Israel and the Lebanese militant group have traded cross-border fire since Hamas’s October 7 attack. But the simmering conflict has not spilled over into a full-blown conflagration, thanks partly to US-led diplomatic efforts and partly to hesitation by both arch-foes to trigger a conflict that could devastate both countries.
Diplomacy has intensified over the past week to try to avert a regional war, while the US has deployed additional forces to the region.
Finer said the move was “entirely focused on defending Israel against potential threats it may face, and out of our desire to both deter those threats, defend against them and ultimately de-escalate this situation and avoid it sliding into regional war”.
As regional states sought to reduce tensions, Jordan’s foreign minister Ayman Safadi made a rare visit to Iran on Sunday to hold talks with his Iranian counterpart, Ali Bagheri Kani.
Jordan was the only Arab state to publicly acknowledge that it helped shoot down Iranian projectiles that flew over its airspace when Tehran launched a missile and drone barrage at Israel in April.
The foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Oman have all held calls with Bagheri Kani in recent days.
At the same time, Hizbollah affiliates have lashed out at the US envoy who has been working to broker a deal between Hizbollah and Israel to end their clashes, accusing Washington of bearing responsibility for Shukr’s assassination.
The Lebanese militant group was not in a “listening mood”, said two people familiar with the talks, saying it would respond however and whenever it wanted.
Many Lebanese who have the option have left the capital for areas deemed safer. But those that stayed filled concert venues, restaurants and bars this weekend.
“I fought with myself for hours about whether to go out or stay home but I decided a glass of wine or three would help calm my nerves,” said 42-year-old Selim Georges in a popular Beirut restaurant on Sunday.
The calls by western governments to leave Lebanon added to fears as thousands of Lebanese expats who are home for the summer debated whether to stay or go.
France estimates that about 23,000 of its citizens live in Lebanon, with thousands more visiting, while the UK estimates about 16,000 of its citizens live there.
Sunday also marked the fourth anniversary of the huge port explosion that ripped through Beirut and killed more than 200 people, caused by hundreds of tonnes of improperly stored ammonium nitrate.
Dozens gathered in downtown Beirut to protest against the lack of accountability for the devastating blast, with some blaming Hizbollah for obstructing justice.
Additional reporting by Neri Zilber in Tel Aviv
