Türkiye, Italy warn citizens to return, avoid travelling to Lebanon amid heightened tensions

(MENAFN) Türkiye and Italy issued travel advisories on Sunday for their citizens currently in Lebanon or planning to travel there due to escalating tensions following recent high-profile assassinations. Türkiye's Foreign Ministry advised its citizens to exercise extreme caution, specifically recommending avoidance of travel to the regions of Nabatieh, South Lebanon, Bekaa, and Baalbek-Hermel unless absolutely necessary. Additionally, the ministry suggested that citizens should leave Lebanon if their presence is not essential, while commercial flights remain operational.

Similarly, Italian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani urged Italians in Lebanon to avoid the southern regions and to return home as soon as possible using commercial flights. Indonesia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs also advised against traveling to Lebanon, Iran, and Israel, recommending immediate departure from Lebanon and increased vigilance due to the deteriorating security situation.

Earlier in the day, the French Embassy in Beirut also urged French citizens to leave Lebanon as quickly as possible. Both the US and the UK had previously warned their nationals to exit Lebanon immediately, citing concerns over the potential for broader conflict in the region.

The current tensions follow the assassination of Hezbollah’s senior military commander Fuad Shukr in an Israeli airstrike on a southern Beirut suburb on Tuesday. The following day, Hamas’s political chief Ismail Haniyeh was reportedly assassinated in Tehran, allegedly by Israeli forces, though Israel has neither confirmed nor denied involvement.

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