The Iraqi embassy in Beirut on Thursday urged Iraqis to avoid visiting the troubled country and advised its citizens there to exercise caution and avoid certain places where there is high risk of bombardement
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - Iraq’s embassy in Lebanon on Thursday called on Iraqi citizens to avoid visiting the country amid soaring tensions between Iran-backed Hezbollah and the Israeli military since last week, joining many other countries who have made the same call.
The embassy “urges Iraqis who intend to travel to Lebanon to take the country's circumstances into consideration and postpone unnecessary visits until the current situation is resolved.”
The Iraqi embassy also calls on Iraqis currently in Lebanon to "exercise caution and care during their stay or movement within Lebanon and to avoid areas witnessing military operations."
Israel has been pummeling Lebanon over the past two weeks, engaging in daily cross-border exchanges of fire with Hezbollah, aggravated by a massive cyberattack involving communication devices last week.
Avenging the killing of its leaders and the striking of its members and positions, Hezbollah has been firing multiple rocket barrages into northern Israel, targeting the Israeli army and sending scores of local residents into bomb shelters.
Two Iraqis are reported killed and several others wounded in Israeli airstrikes across various regions of Lebanon since earlier this week.
Over 650 people have been killed and nearly 2,000 wounded this week alone, in Israel’s deadliest strikes on Lebanon in two decades, according to the latest tally published by the Lebanese health ministry.
In addition to Iraq, many other countries have advised their nationals to immediately leave Lebanon and avoid visiting it.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday said that over 90,000 people from southern and eastern Lebanon have been displaced to the northwest since Monday.
Around 1,250 people have been killed in Lebanon and nearly 200,000 displaced since October last year, according to Guterres, while Israel has reported 49 deaths and 60,000 people fleeing northern Israel during that same period.
The latest Israeli strike was on a southern Beirut suburb on Thursday afternoon, allegedly targeting Mohammed Srur, head of Hezbollah’s drone unit, sources close to the group have said. This is the fourth attack of its kind since Monday targeting the group's leaders. Srur's fate remains unclear.
It came after earlier in the day the Israeli military said it was "carrying out precise strikes in Beirut", without immediately providing further details.
Despite calls for a ceasefire by the US and Europe, Israel announced on Thursday that there will be no room for negotiation on an armistice until “final victory” is achieved.
Telegram
