Indian nationals ‘strongly advised’ to leave Lebanon

A man walks past destruction caused by Israeli airstrikes in the Masaken neighbourhood on the outskirts of Tyre in Lebanon on September 26, 2024.
| Photo Credit: AFP

India has “strongly advised” its nationals to leave Lebanon. An advisory issued by the Embassy of India in Beirut has advised Indian citizens to not to travel to Lebanon which has been targeted by Israeli bombing raids over the past three days.

“All Indian nationals already in Lebanon are also strongly advised to leave Lebanon. Those who remain for any reason are advised to exercise extreme caution, restrict their movements and remaining contact with Embassy of India in Beirut through our email ID: cons.beirut@mea.gov.in or the emergency phone number +96176860128,” the Embassy of India said in a public notification.

This is the first advisory by India since the pager attacks targeted Lebanon a week earlier. Subsequently, Israel carried out bombing raids targeting southern Lebanon and capital Beirut. In retaliation, Hezbollah, the armed Lebanese group launched rockets and missiles that have hit northern Israeli cities like Safed, and the second largest city and the port of Haifa. On Wednesday, a ballistic missile fired by Hezbollah was intercepted above Israeli capital Tel Aviv.

The Embassy of India had issued a similar advisory on 1 August as the conflict between Hezbollah and Israel had been heating up in the backdrop of the Israeli military campaign in the Gaza Strip.