Western countries advise citizens in Lebanon to leave over Israeli aggression

Aug. 4 (UPI) -- Western countries including Italy, Britain, France and the United States have advised citizens in Lebanon to leave the country over escalating tensions between Lebanon and its neighbor, Israel, which is also waging war against Palestinians in Gaza .

Displacing thousands of Lebanese civilians near the border, Israel has for months been conducting strikes on its northern neighbor to target Hezbollah , an armed political party created to oppose Israeli occupation in southern Lebanon in the 1980s. After fighting a civil war in Lebanon, the party survived and has continued to oppose Israeli aggression in the region.

Tensions have increased between Israel and Lebanon since last week's assassination of Ismail Haniyeh , the head of the political bureau of the Palestinian militia Hamas -- Hezbollah's ally in Gaza, which is fighting against Israeli occupation of Palestinian land and oppression of Palestinian people.

"Given the worsening of the situation, we invite Italians temporarily staying in Lebanon not to travel to the South of the country and to return to Italy on commercial flights as soon as possible," Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said in a statement .

French Foreign Minister Stéphane Séjourné noted that commercial flights from Lebanon are still available , an indication that might not be the case soon.

"As a reminder, faced with the risks of military escalation in the Middle East, French nationals are urged not to travel to Lebanon," Séjourné said.

With a more dire-sounding warning , the British Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said "British nationals in Lebanon should leave now" as it encouraged Brits in Lebanon to follow an official WhatsApp page for more information.

In June, Human Rights Watch said that the Israeli military is illegally using airburst white phosphorus munitions as it attacks Lebanon, putting civilians in its northern neighbor at risk.

The human rights organization said it verified that Israel illegally used airburst munitions over residential areas in five municipalities in June. The report counted the use of white phosphorous munitions in at least 17 municipalities since October 2023.

At least 173 people have been injured by white phosphorous since October, Lebanon's Ministry of Public Health said. And more than 92,600 people have been displaced.

Amnesty International has similarly documented the illegal use of white phosphorous by the Israeli military. It previously called on one such attack on the town of Dhayra to be investigated as a war crime.