China urges citizens to take ‘caution’ in Lebanon travel

An Egypt air plane is pictured on the tarmac at Beirut International airport on August 5, 2024. Urgent calls grew for foreign nationals to leave Lebanon, which would be on the front line of a regional war, as Iran and its allies readied their response to high-profile killings blamed on Israel. Agence France-Presse

BEIJING — China’s embassy in Beirut urged citizens to “travel with caution” should they visit Lebanon, warning they face “higher security risks” as fears of a regional conflict soar.

In a statement issued Monday evening Beijing time, the embassy warned citizens the situation in the country was “grave and complex”.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Chinese Embassy in Lebanon remind Chinese citizens to closely monitor the evolution of the local situation and to travel with caution in Lebanon in the near future,” the embassy said on its official WeChat account.

READ: Foreigners told to leave Lebanon as war fears surge

As Israel’s war against Iran-backed Hamas in Gaza nears the 11th month, the Tehran-aligned “Axis of Resistance” is widely expected to retaliate after the killing of two senior figures.

Palestinian armed group Hamas’s political leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed in Tehran last week in an attack blamed on Israel, which has not directly commented on it.

The killing came hours after an Israeli strike on Beirut killed the military chief of Lebanon’s Hezbollah movement, Fuad Shukr.

READ: US in ‘around-the-clock’ push against Middle East war

Hezbollah and Israel have continued near-daily exchanges of fire.

Multiple nations called on Monday for their citizens to leave Lebanon, where Hezbollah is based.

Beijing’s embassy also advised Chinese to “remain very vigilant” should they travel to the country.

“If Chinese citizens insist on going (to Lebanon) despite the warning, they may face higher security risks,” it cautioned.