© GABY VELASQUEZ/EL PASO TIMES / USA TODAY NETWORK
(Beirut) — Americans in Lebanon are being urged by the U.S. Embassy in Beirut to book any available flight out of the country.
The Embassy noted that most airlines have suspended or cancelled flights while many others are sold out. This comes as Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah continue to trade fire as tensions rise in the Middle East.
Americans who choose to remain in Lebanon are being cautioned by the Embassy to make contingency plans and be prepared to shelter in place for an extended period of time. The Embassy also noted that U.S. military-assisted evacuations of civilians from a foreign country are rare.
Israel and Hezbollah continue to trade fire a day after the deadliest day in Lebanon in almost two decades. Israel said it killed a commander of the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group in an airstrike on Beirut Tuesday. Lebanese officials said more than 500 people were killed including dozens of children and women in Israeli airstrikes on Monday.
The airstrikes come as world leaders gather at the United Nations General Assembly in New York. In a post on X, UN chief Antonio Guterres said Lebanon is at the brink and the world cannot afford for the country to become another Gaza.
