Risk of unlimited Israel-Hezbollah fighting, countries urge citizens to leave Lebanon immediately

Bulgaria, Kuwait and Canada are the first countries to officially call on their citizens to leave Lebanon due to the risk of renewed fighting with Hezbollah.

A thick column of smoke rises into the sky over Alma al-Shaab following Israeli bombardments on April 25. (Photo: AFP)

Bulgaria, Kuwait and Canada were the first countries to officially call on their citizens to leave Lebanon.

According to Bulgarian media, on June 22, the country's Foreign Ministry called on citizens to suspend all trips to Lebanon and leave the Middle Eastern country "immediately" due to developments in the Middle East region.

Earlier, on June 20, Kuwait made a similar move, urging its citizens to leave “as soon as possible.” The Kuwaiti Foreign Ministry advised citizens not to travel to Lebanon “at the present time due to the ongoing security situation in the region.”

Meanwhile, Canada says it is preparing to evacuate 45,000 citizens amid growing concerns about a wider conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.

Canadian Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly briefed her Israeli counterpart, Yisrael Katz, stating that Canada had deployed military forces to the region to facilitate evacuation if conflict broke out between Israel and Hezbollah. On June 17, Canada updated Lebanon’s travel advisory risk level to “avoid all travel.”

The latest advice comes after Israeli media outlets, including the Walla news portal, reported that Hezbollah may be planning a “surprise preemptive strike” against Israel.

For his part, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah threatened that, in the event of open conflict, the Israelis must “prepare to ‘catch’ us by land, sea and air.” For the first time, the group’s leader also warned Cyprus, claiming that his group had information that Israeli soldiers were conducting exercises in the mountainous areas of Cyprus similar to those in southern Lebanon, saying, “We warn Nicosia, opening airports and bases for Israel to target Lebanon means that the Cypriot government is part of the war.”

Previously, this person warned that he would wage an “unlimited”, unconventional war with Israel and that no place in Israel would be safe from their attacks.

Meanwhile, a senior US official said the country has reaffirmed its commitment to fully support Israel in the event of an all-out conflict with Hezbollah.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/nguy-co-bung-no-giao-tranh-khong-gioi-han-israel-hezbollah-cac-nuoc-thuc-giuc-cong-dan-lap-tuc-roi-khoi-lebanon-275970.html