Saudi Arabia calls on its citizens to immediately leave Lebanon - Embassy

CAIRO: Saudi Arabia has called on its citizens to immediately leave Lebanon amid security risks associated with possible war between Lebanese Shia movement Hezbollah and Israel, the Saudi embassy in Lebanon said.

“The Embassy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in the Lebanese Republic is following with concern the current events in southern Lebanon, once again calls on all Saudi citizens to comply with the decision to ban travel to Lebanon and calls on citizens there to immediately leave Lebanese territory,” the embassy said on Saturday.

On June 18, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced that it had approved operational plans for an offensive in Lebanon. Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz later said that Israel was “very close” to a decision to “change the rules” against Hezbollah and Lebanon, threatening to destroy the movement “in an all-out war” and to “severely hit” Lebanon. Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah said that the movement could invade northern Israel if the confrontation intensifies further.

The situation on the Israeli-Lebanese border worsened after the start of Israel’s military operations in the Gaza Strip in October 2023. The IDF and Lebanese Hezbollah fighters fire at each other’s positions in areas along the border on a daily basis. The Lebanese Foreign Ministry said that around 100,000 people had to leave their homes in border areas, while the Israeli Foreign Ministry said that 80,000 Israelis had to do the same.