An urgent warning has been issued to people currently visiting or planning to travel to 19 countries. Some of them include tourist hotspots including Egypt, Tunisia and Morocco.
The warning centres around the current conflict between Israel and Lebanon. On Sunday, the Foreign Office said the “ongoing hostilities” meant that people in or planning to travel to 19 countries needed to be aware that “the situation is changing fast”.
It issued the warning to people currently in or heading to: Egypt, Bahrain, Algeria, UAE, Tunisia, Syria, Jordan, Iraq, Israel, The Occupied Palestinian Territories, Qatar, Oman, Morocco, Libya, Iran, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Lebanon itself. Brits in Lebanon have been told to leave as soon as possible.
For those in the other countries listed, the Foreign Office said: “Ongoing hostilities between Israel and Lebanon could escalate quickly and pose risks for the wider region. Monitor this travel advice and other media as the situation is changing fast. Follow and contact FCDO travel on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. You can also get email notifications when this travel advice is updated. Read FCDO advice if you’re affected by a crisis abroad.”
It comes as an Israeli air strike on north-east Lebanon killed 11 people a day after the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah confirmed the death of multiple commanders, including long-time leader Hassan Nasrallah. Lebanon’s state news agency said the attack early on Sunday on a village destroyed a home, killing all 11 people inside.
Six of the bodies were recovered from under the rubble and the search continues for the remaining five in the village of al-Ain, the National News Agency said. The Israeli army says it is carrying out attacks on Hezbollah targets in Lebanon.
More than 700 people have been killed in Lebanon since September 23 when Israel intensified its air strikes around the country, forcing tens of thousands to flee their homes in south Lebanon, the eastern Bekaa Valley and Beirut’s southern suburb known as Dahiyeh. The number of those displaced has more than doubled and now stands at more than 211,000, according to the United Nations.