Federal Foreign Office: Germans should leave Lebanon quickly
Israel kills a Hamas leader on Lebanese territory. Hezbollah leader Nasrallah wants revenge and threatens that there is no fear of war. The Federal Foreign Office is calling on Germans to leave the country due to the escalation. Meanwhile, the government in Lebanon is trying to prevent worse.
Due to the worsening situation on the Israeli-Lebanese border, the Federal Foreign Office has called on German citizens to leave Lebanon as soon as possible. Germans who are still in the country should register on the Elefand crisis preparedness list and leave the country "as quickly as possible", the Federal Foreign Office wrote on Platform X. "An escalation on the border between Israel and Lebanon cannot be ruled out", it said after the German government's crisis management team met.
On Tuesday evening, Hamas leader Saleh al-Aruri was killed in an explosion in the Lebanese capital Beirut. In a highly anticipated speech, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah warned Israel against an escalation of the conflict with the neighboring country. His militia is allied with Hamas.
In his speech, Nasrallah described the killing of the high-ranking Hamas representative as a "blatant Israeli attack". "The assassination of Al-Aruri is a dangerous crime that will not remain without reaction and punishment," said the Hezbollah leader. "We are not afraid of war and we do not hesitate."
According to Israel's army, it registered several rocket launches from the neighboring country on Wednesday that were aimed at Israeli targets. In response, the military attacked the sites of the rocket fire.
Lebanese government wants to prevent war
Lebanon's acting foreign minister, Abdallah Bou Habib, told the British radio station BBC 4 that his government was talking to the Shia militia Hezbollah in order to "convince them that they should not react themselves".
The government in Beirut fears a possible escalation of the conflict. "We are very worried, the Lebanese do not want to be dragged into it, even Hezbollah does not want to be dragged into a regional war," said Minister Bou Habib. He called on Western states to "put pressure on Israel to stop all its violence and all its actions, not only in Lebanon, not only in Beirut, but also in Gaza".
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Following the assassination of Hamas leader Saleh al-Aruri in Beirut, tensions between Israel and Lebanon continue to rise. Germany's Federal Foreign Office advises its citizens to leave Lebanon due to fear of an Israel war, highlighting the potential for an escalation on the border. The Lebanese government, led by acting foreign minister Abdallah Bou Habib, is actively engaging with Hezbollah to prevent further conflicts, recognizing the desire of the Lebanese people to avoid being dragged into the conflict.
Source: www.ntv.de
