The Turkish Foreign Ministry has updated its travel advisory for Lebanon, advising Turkish citizens who are planning to travel to the country to postpone their trips and those who are in Lebanon to leave the country, due to the recently escalating tensions in the region.
In an official statement on Sunday the ministry advised Turkish citizens to avoid travelling to Lebanon unless necessary while calling on those already in the country to leave while commercial flights are still operational.
The region is on high alert after Iran vowed revenge on Israel, which it blames for the assassination of Hamas’s political leader, Ismail Haniyeh, in Tehran last week. Haniyeh’s murder came just hours after an Israeli strike on the Lebanese capital of Beirut killed Hezbollah’s most senior military commander, Fu’ad Shukr.
“Our citizens should avoid traveling to Lebanon unless it is essential; our citizens in Lebanon are advised to be cautious, not to go to Nabatiyeh, South Lebanon, Bekaa and Baalbek-Hermel provinces unless necessary, and those who do not need to stay in Lebanon are advised to leave Lebanon, if possible, while commercial flights are still continuing,” Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesperson Öncü Keçeli tweeted on Sunday.
Lübnan için seyahat uyarımız güncellendi.
Vatandaşlarımızın elzem olmadığı sürece Lübnan’a seyahat etmekten kaçınmaları;
Lübnan'da bulunan vatandaşlarımızın ise tedbirli olmaları, zorunlu olmadıkça Nebatiyeh, Güney Lübnan, Bekaa ve Baalbek-Hermel vilayetlerine gitmemeleri ve…
— Öncü Keçeli | Dışişleri Bakanlığı Sözcüsü (@SpoxTR_MFA) August 4, 2024
The ministry also called on Turkish citizens to stay informed through updates on the official websites and social media accounts of both the ministry and the Turkish Embassy in Beirut.
There are fears that the latest developments could turn Israel’s ongoing war in Gaza, which was launched in retaliation for an unprecedented Hamas attack on October 7, could spill over into a full-blown Middle Eastern conflict.
In addition to Turkey, several other countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom and France, have also urged their citizens to leave Lebanon due to fears of a widening conflict in the Middle East.