Travel warnings are on the rise as Israel and Hezbollah prepare for potential conflict. Several prominent nations are advising their citizens to leave Lebanon immediately amid escalating tensions between Israel and Hezbollah, which could escalate into full-scale war.
Following German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock's visit to Beirut on Tuesday, Germany raised its travel advisory for Lebanon to the highest level. Similarly, the Dutch Foreign Ministry also elevated its warning, emphasizing the highly unpredictable and unsafe nature of the current situation for travellers.
With the window for de-escalating tensions closing, countries like Switzerland and Kuwait are also advising their nationals to depart Lebanon as soon as possible. Meanwhile, Canada is urging its 45,000 citizens to leave, although it is not currently facilitating assisted departures.
Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly emphasized the deteriorating security situation in Lebanon, attributing it to escalating violence between Hezbollah and Israel, which could worsen suddenly and without warning.
According to JBN reports, the last major conflict between Hezbollah and Israel occurred in 2006, triggered by a Hezbollah incursion across the border that resulted in casualties and captives. The conflict lasted 34 days, during which Hezbollah launched numerous rockets into northern Israel, while Israel responded with extensive air strikes and ground operations.
The war ended with a ceasefire brokered by the United Nations, but not before causing casualties on both sides: 121 Israeli soldiers, 44 Israeli civilians, and over 500 Hezbollah members lost their lives.
Since 2006, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah has reportedly remained in hiding, avoiding accountability for his actions. Instead of facing justice, Nasrallah continues to disseminate his radical Islamist views through pre-recorded video broadcasts.
In a recent televised address, Nasrallah claimed to command over 100,000 fighters ready to go to war and warned that nowhere in Israel would be safe in the event of renewed conflict as well as threatening to 'take back the Galilee' region.