Israel and Hezbollah have exchanged cross-border fire almost daily since the October 7 attack. The UN has warned that the spread of war to Lebanon would be “potentially apocalyptic”.
Several countries have urged their citizens to leave Lebanon as soon as possible in recent days, due to the risk of an escalation in the conflict between Israel and the pro-Iranian Hezbollah. Germany is one of them. “German nationals are asked to leave Lebanon as quickly as possible” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Wednesday. “The current tensions in the border area with Israel could worsen at any time”. There is also “an increased risk of terrorist attacks” in the country, which could target Western foreigners or large hotels.
On Wednesday morning, the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) advised against travel to Lebanon, stressing that:“A significant deterioration of the security situation throughout the country is possible at any time”. On Tuesday, Canada made the same call, urging its nationals to leave “as long as they can”. Kuwait preceded the North American country on Friday evening, advising its nationals not to travel to this country “at present, given the security situation in the region”.
Tirs almost-daily
Israel and Hezbollah have exchanged cross-border fire almost daily since the attack by the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas on Israeli territory on October 7, which sparked the war in the Gaza Strip. German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock warned on Tuesday against “calculation errors” which could trigger an all-out war between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon, calling for a “extreme restraint”. “With each rocket crossing the Blue Line (…), the danger increases that a miscalculation could trigger a war (…)”wrote Annalena Baerbock on X, in reference to the demarcation line set by the UN between Lebanon and Israel.
The UN humanitarian chief also warned on Wednesday that the spread of Israel’s war against Hamas to Lebanon would be “potentially apocalyptic”while bombings and fighting continue in the Palestinian territory. “I see this as the spark that will ignite the powder… It’s potentially apocalyptic”warned Martin Griffiths in Geneva, saying he feared the consequences “unpredictable” of a conflict that would reach Lebanon.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, for his part, accused Western countries of “sustain “ an Israeli offensive in Lebanon against Hezbollah. “It seems that Israel, which devastated Gaza, is now setting its sights on Lebanon. We see that Western powers support Israel behind the scenes”declared the Turkish president in front of his party’s deputies in parliament.
