Israel-Iran War Looms: Why Are Countries Asking Citizens To Leave Lebanon Immediately? – News18

As tensions rise in Middle East, following the assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh, several Western governments, including the US, UK and France have asked their citizens to leave Lebanon immediately.

Haniyeh’s killing in Iran on Wednesday, hours after the Israeli assassination of Iran-backed Hezbollah’s military chief Fuad Shukr in Beirut, has triggered pledges of vengeance from Iran and the so-called “axis of resistance”.

Hezbollah, an ally of Hamas, and the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) have been trading blows at each other since the Israeli assault on Gaza began on October 7 after Hamas led an attack inside the Israeli territory, killing nearly 1,100 and taking 240 other captive.

Since October 7, 2023, more than 1,700 rockets have been fired from Lebanon towards Israel, killing 15 Israelis, and injuring more than 150 people, according to the Israeli military.

On January 2, 2024, Israel launched a drone strike on a Hamas office in Dahiyeb, a southern suburb of Beirut, killing seven people. Among those killed were Saleh al-Arouri, the deputy chief of the Hamas political bureau, and two senior commanders of the Qassam Brigades. In response, Hezbollah’s Nasrallah pledged to retaliate, while Lebanon filed a complaint to the United Nations Security Council over the assassination.

Which Countries Have Asked Citizens To Leave Lebanon?

India

Advisory: India has asked its nationals to avoid all non-essential travel to Lebanon. “All Indian nationals in Lebanon are advised to exercise caution, restrict their movements and remain in contact with embassy of India in Beirut,” the embassy said. There are nearly 4,000 Indian nationals in Lebanon, with a majority of them employed as workers in companies, construction sector and agricultural farms.

Trade: In 2022, India exported $308 million to Lebanon. The main products that India exported to Lebanon were Electric Batteries ($106 million), Refined Petroleum ($54.7 million). Over the past five years, the exports of India to Lebanon have increased at an annualised rate of 78%, from $17.2 million in 2017 to $308 million in 2022. Total volume of trade between India and Lebanon during financial year 2022-23 was $ 595 million with Indian exports to Lebanon at $ 403 million and Indian imports from Lebanon at $92 million.

US

Advisory: The US has asked citizens to leave Lebanon and prepare contingency plans if they wish to remain in the country. In a message on its website, the US Embassy in Lebanon said even though some airlines have suspended operations in Lebanon, flights are still available and citizens should book any flight available. “The US Embassy notes several airlines have suspended or cancelled flights, and many flights have sold out; however, commercial transportation options to leave Lebanon remain available.  Please see available flight options at Beirut–Rafic Hariri International Airport. We encourage those who wish to depart Lebanon to book any ticket available to them, even if that flight does not depart immediately or does not follow their first-choice route. US citizens who lack funds to return to the US may contact the embassy for financial assistance via repatriation loans,” said the embassy.

Trade: The US and Lebanon have signed a Trade and Investment Framework Agreement to help promote an attractive investment climate, expand trade relations, and remove obstacles to trade and investment between the two countries.

Relations: The US has sought to bolster forces that could serve as a counterweight to Syrian and Iranian influence in Lebanon, providing more than $3 billion in military assistance to the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) since 2006, to counter nonstate actors like Hezbollah and secure the country’s borders against extremist groups operating in neighboring Syria, including those affiliated with Al Qaeda and the Islamic State, as per Congressional Research Service. The US wants to weaken Hezbollah without provoking a direct confrontation that could undermine Lebanon’s stability. The US has provided over $3 billion in humanitarian assistance for Lebanon since FY2012,13 to lessen the impact of the refugee surge.

UK

[name]Advisory[/name]: “Tensions are high, and the situation could deteriorate rapidly. While we are working round the clock to strengthen our consular presence in Lebanon, my message to British nationals there is clear — leave now,” Foreign Secretary David Lammy said. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has advised against all travel to Lebanon “due to risks associated with the ongoing conflict between Israel, Lebanese Hizballah and other non-state actors in Lebanon. There are ongoing mortar and artillery exchanges and airstrikes in Lebanon, primarily on the boundary with Israel but also in parts of the Beqaa Valley and some other locations north of the Litani river”. The FCDO also advised UK citizens to not rely on them for evacuation in an emergency. “Do not rely on FCDO being able to evacuate you in an emergency. You should have a personal emergency plan that does not rely on the UK government. This may include the ability to leave quickly or to shelter in place if you judge it necessary and safe to do so.”

Trade: Total trade in goods and services (exports plus imports) between the UK and Lebanon was £1.2 billion in the four quarters to the end of Q1 2024, an increase of 44.8% or £373 million in current prices from the four quarters to the end of Q1 2023.

Relations: The UK-Lebanon Agreement replicates the effects of the EU-Lebanon Agreements as closely as possible, including the establishment of institutional arrangements between the UK and Lebanon based on existing structures (such as the Association Council) that allow for the ongoing management and updating of the Agreement.

France

Advisory: France urged its citizens in Iran and Lebanon to leave the countries due to a risk of military escalation in the Middle East, the foreign ministry said on Sunday in two separate travel advisories. The ministry called on its citizens in Lebanon, especially those on trips there, to take advantage of the fact that there are still commercial flights available to leave. Air France said on Saturday it and its affiliate Transavia were further extending their suspensions of flights between Paris and Beirut until at least August 6.

Trade: Over the past five years, the exports of France to Lebanon have increased at an annualised rate of 6.75%, from $608 million in 2017 to $842 million in 2022. In 2022, France did not export any services to Lebanon. In 2022, Lebanon exported $54 million to France.

Relations: Lebanon was designated a French protectorate by the League of Nations after the First World War with the aim that Lebanon would later become an independent state instead of being a French colony. There are around 23,000 French people in Lebanon and around 210,000 Lebanese people in France. In 2018, French ambassador to Lebanon Bruno Fou¬cher said it was the number one country, outside France, teaching the French curriculum. France is also a significant exporter to, and investor in, Lebanon, and often coordinates aid to the country in international negotiations. The country is seen by France as strategically important in Middle Eastern politics.

Sweden

Advisory: In Sweden, Foreign Minister Tobias Billström has shut down the Swedish embassy in Beirut, calling on all Swedes to leave the country as soon as possible, noting that assistance to expats will become increasingly difficult. “The foreign ministry has instructed its staff to leave Beirut and travel to Cyprus, and the foreign ministry is planning a temporary relocation of its embassy,” Billström told public broadcaster SR.

Trade: The main products exported from Sweden to Lebanon were Margarine ($8.73 million), concentrated milk ($7.21 million), and combustion engines ($6.6 million). During the last five years, the exports of Sweden to Lebanon have increased at an annualised rate of 4.9%, from $79.3 million in 2017 to $101 million in 2022. The diplomatic relations between Lebanon and Sweden have officially existed since 1947 with a Swedish envoyé (a diplomatic envoy) appointed to Lebanon. Trade between Sweden and Lebanon has occurred since 1951-1959 and 1962-1967, when the international economic situation was good.

What Do You Know About Lebanon?

Lebanon gained independence in 1943, and its political leaders created a government that allowed representation from three groups: Maronite Christians (represented by the president), Shiite Muslims (represented by the speaker of parliament), and Sunni Muslims (represented by the prime minister). However, unresolved sectarian differences led to a civil war from 1975 to 1990, in which more than 100,000 people died. Syrian forces withdrew from Lebanon in 2005 following the assassination of Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri, but a war between Israel and Hezbollah quickly followed in 2006. After a two-and-a-half-year leadership gap from 2014 to 2016, Lebanon is without a president after the conclusion of Michel Aoun’s contentious term in October 2022. Moreover, Lebanese politics has become a proxy battleground for Iran, which provides support for Hezbollah; and Saudi Arabia, which backed former Prime Minister Saad Hariri and other Sunni politicians.

In addition to hosting more than 1.5 million refugees (over 800,000 of whom are Syrian), the nearly 13-year conflict in Syria has affected cross-border trade and dampened Lebanon’s tourism industry. In addition to the world’s third-highest ratio of debt to gross domestic product, Lebanon also maintains one of the largest refugee populations per capita.

Tensions between the government and its citizens reached an all-time high once again following an explosion at the Port of Beirut in August 2020, which cost an estimated $15 billion in damages and left more than 300,000 homeless.

In April 2023, Lebanese inflation hit a high at almost 270%, reducing to 254% in June 2023. Despite being pegged to the United States Dollar at a rate of £L1507.5 per dollar since 1997, the Lebanese pound reached a new low of more than £L100,000 per dollar in March 2023.

In 2022, the Lebanese government and the IMF came to a staff-level agreement that would provide billions in economic assistance. With the government has been slow to implement reforms, more than 80% of the population lives in multidimensional poverty.

Lebanon’s Geography

Lebanon Republic is a mountainous country in the Levant region with a coastline on the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Lebanon borders Israel to the south and Syria to the north and east. Most of the border between Lebanon and Syria runs through the mountainous region of the Anti-Lebanon Mountain Range. The country also shares maritime borders with Cyprus.

Lebanon has a population of around 5.35 million (in 2023), not including around 1.5 million refugees from Syria and Palestine. The largest city is Beirut, also the capital, and the most spoken language in Lebanon is Lebanese Arabic, French and English (for business and education).

The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon is a multinational peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon, in the region between the Litani River and the Lebanese-Israeli border.