BEIRUT, | Xinhua | Several airlines announced on Monday the suspension of their flights to Lebanon, while some Western countries urged their citizens to leave as soon as possible amid fears of the escalation between Israel and Hezbollah.
A state of anxiety and tension prevails in the border area of southern Lebanon in light of the repeated Israeli threats to launch a military operation that will make Hezbollah “pay a heavy price,” after a missile attack in the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights on Saturday killed 12 people and wounded several others.
The German Lufthansa Group announced on Monday that it had suspended its flights to Beirut until Aug. 5 as a “precautionary measure” due to the current situation in the Middle East.
The French airlines, Air France, Transavia, and Royal Jordanian Airlines also suspended their flights to Beirut on Monday and Tuesday.
Turkish Airlines canceled Sunday night flights, while Aegean Airlines and Ethiopian Airlines nixed their Monday flights to Beirut.
Meanwhile, Lebanon’s national carrier, Middle East Airlines, announced on Sunday that it had postponed the return of some flights to Beirut from Sunday evening to Monday morning as well as the take-off of some of its flights.
In addition, the U.S. embassy in Beirut called on its citizens to leave Lebanon as soon as possible.
The embassy published a video clip on social media platform X, in which Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs, Rena Bitter, called on U.S. citizens who will not leave Lebanon to “prepare to take shelter in their places of residence for long periods.”
The Norwegian embassy in Beirut, through its Facebook page, posted a travel advice that “encourages all its citizens to leave Lebanon” due to the escalation, noting, “If the situation deteriorates, travel options outside Lebanon may become limited.”
Germany and Italy also urged their citizens to leave Lebanon as soon as possible. ■