The State Department issued a travel advisory on Saturday morning urging Americans to leave Lebanon amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.
The warning comes amid threats from Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah to escalate military actions against Israel. Israel has been sending targeted strikes against Hezbollah in Lebanon as Hezbollah has fired rockets at Israeli troops.
“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 to X.
Americans 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: 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
Have a plan of action… pic.twitter.com/UsLjaYze5l— Travel – State Dept (@TravelGov) November 4, 2023
The U.S. Embassy in Lebanon echoed the State Department’s advisory, telling Americans to leave the country and to have plans to leave “that do not rely on the U.S. government.”
Last month, the U.S. issued a “Level 4: Do Not Travel” advisory on for Lebanon because of increased Hezbollah terrorist and criminal activity.
On Friday, Nasrallah gave a speech that took aim at the U.S., calling it “The Great Satan,” and blaming America for the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, which started after Hamas launched a surprise terrorist attack on October 7.
“We must establish this fact,” he 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.”
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In the days following the Hamas attacks on Israel, the Israel Defense Forces said that it had “neutralized a number of terrorist infiltrators” who had crossed from Lebanon into Israel.
The remarks come after the IDF said it had reports of suspected terrorists entering 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, according to Reuters. The crossing was reportedly near Adamit, a city in northern Israel near the border with Lebanon.