Today, Saturday (June 29, 2024), Saudi Arabia has called on its citizens in Lebanon to leave immediately.
The Saudi Embassy in Lebanon said in a statement today, Saturday, “It is closely following developments in the current events in southern Lebanon, confirming its previous call to all Saudi citizens to abide by the decision to ban travel to Lebanon.”
In a statement released today on Saturday at the “X” site, the embassy asks its citizens to leave the Lebanese territory immediately and notes the need for citizens to contact them in case of any emergency.
Since October 8, 2023, Lebanese and Palestinian factions in Lebanon – especially Hezbollah – have exchanged daily bombardments with the Israeli army across the Blue Line separating the two countries, killing and wounding hundreds, most of them on the Lebanese side.
In recent weeks, tensions between Israel and Hezbollah have escalated, raising fears of an all-out war, especially as the Israeli military recently announced it was approving operational plans for a “massive attack” on Lebanon.
Hezbollah has made a condition to end its war against Gaza starting October 7, 2023, and stop attacks on Israel. As a result, some 38,000 Palestinians were killed and tens of thousands injured, most of them children and women, according to Hamas health officials. It is worth noting that the Hamas movement is a Palestinian Islamic armed group and is classified as a terrorist organization by Germany, the European Union, the United States and other countries.
Galant: Israel does not want war with Hezbollah
Meanwhile, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant said Israel did not want to go to war against the Iranian-backed Shiite Hezbollah militia in Lebanon, but he insisted the Israeli army was ready for war.
Israeli media quoted the minister as saying during a visit to forces near Israel’s northern border with Lebanon, “We are working on a political solution. This is always the best option. We do not expect war, but we are ready for it.”
He added: “If Hezbollah chooses war, we know what we are doing… If they choose peace, we will give an appropriate response.”
Since the start of the Gaza war, there has been a daily firefight between the Israeli army and Hezbollah along the border between Israel and Lebanon.
The intensity of the fighting has increased significantly recently, and several countries, including Germany, have called on their citizens to leave Lebanon.
There are fears that a potential open war between Israel and Lebanon could escalate into a regional conflict involving Iran and the United States.
Iran’s mission to the United Nations warned in a post on the “X” website this Saturday morning that if Israel “launches a large-scale military occupation, this could lead to a catastrophic war.”
Many countries, including the United States, European Union countries, Britain and Arab countries, consider Hezbollah – or its military wing – a terrorist organization. Germany also banned the party’s activity on its territory in 2020 and classified it as a terrorist organization.
AM/AH/MAH (dpa)
