The U.S. Department of State has issued a travel advisory urging Americans to leave Lebanon amid the ongoing war between Israel and the terrorist organization Hamas.
“The [State Department] recommends that U.S. citizens in Lebanon leave now while commercial flights remain available due to the unpredictable security situation,” the State Department posted on the social media platform X, referring citizens to look at available flight options at Beirut–Rafic Hariri International Airport.
Lebanon: The @StateDept recommends that U.S. citizens in Lebanon leave now while commercial flights remain available due to the unpredictable security situation. Available flight options at Beirut–Rafic Hariri International Airport: https://t.co/gGE8JI7tXA
— Travel – State Dept (@TravelGov) November 4, 2023
Have a plan of action… pic.twitter.com/UsLjaYze5l
Americans living in Lebanon were also told to have “a plan of action for crisis situations that does not rely on U.S. government assistance. The best time to leave a country is before a crisis, if at all possible. U.S. military-assisted evacuations of civilians from a foreign country are rare. There is no guarantee the U.S. government will evacuate private U.S. citizens and their family members in a crisis situation.”
Lebanon’s U.S. Embassy echoed the advisory and said that Americans should leave the country immediately. The U.S. recently issued a “Level 4: Do Not Travel” advisory for Lebanon following an increase in terrorist and criminal activity.
This comes after Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah threatened to intensify military operations against Israel. The country has since launched targeted strikes on the organization in Lebanon after the terrorist group fired rockets at Israeli troops.
“We must establish this fact,” Nasrallah declared. “The United States is totally responsible for the war raging in Gaza… It is the United States, proving once again, as described by [former Iran Supreme Leader Ayatollah] Khomeini, it is the greatest Satan, the great devil.”
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) claimed to have “neutralized a number of terrorist infiltrators” who had entered Israel from Lebanon in the days after the Iran-backed Hamas launched its attacks on the Gaza Strip.
The comments follow the IDF’s announcement that it received reports on possible terrorists crossing into Israel from Lebanon.
“A report was received regarding the infiltration of a number of suspects into Israeli territory from Lebanese territory. IDF soldiers are deployed in the area,” the military said, as per Reuters. The crossing was reportedly near Adamit, a city in northern Israel near the border with Lebanon.
