People with their luggage wait at a bus stop in the northern Israeli town of Kiryat Shmona on the border with Lebanon, to be evacuated to a safer location on October 22, 2023. Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hezbollah and allied Palestinian factions have traded cross-border fire with Israel for days, after Hamas gunmen attacked communities in southern Israel on October 7. (AFP)
MANILA, Philippines — At least 100 Filipinos in Lebanon are asking to be repatriated due to rising tension in the southern border.
In a text message to INQUIRER.net on Monday, Department of Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega said “about 100 [Filipinos] have so far asked” to be repatriated.
Citing data from the Philippine embassy in Beirut, de Vega said there are 17,500 Filipinos in Lebanon.
The DFA earlier raised the crisis alert level in Lebanon to 3, advising Filipinos to consider leaving the area to avoid getting trapped in the clashes between Hezbollah militants and Israeli troops.
The Philippine embassy in Lebanon likewise advised Filipinos to avoid public places, gatherings, and traveling within Lebanon, especially in the south unless necessary.