Lebanon: News about withdrawing several countries their ambassadors
Welat TV - Erbil
Breaking news spread that the ambassadors of 8 countries left Lebanon “for fear of imminent strikes” in light of the tension between Lebanese Hezbollah and Israel.
According to circulating news, “Germany, Austria, Belgium, the Netherlands, France, the United Kingdom, Italy, and Spain” have decided to withdraw their ambassadors from Lebanon in order to preserve their safety, given the deteriorating security conditions and increasing potential risks.
In this context, no official Lebanese or foreign body confirmed the news, but some Lebanese news sites said, “The goal of this news, which is likely to be fabricated, is to create confusion in Lebanon.
This news came against the backdrop of the crisis sparked by the words of the Secretary-General of Hezbollah with Cyprus, when European countries threatened to target it if it opened its airports to Israel.
In recent weeks, there has been tension between Israel and southern Lebanon, which has led to increased fears of the outbreak of a large-scale military confrontation that could have serious repercussions on stability in the region.
Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah, on Wednesday, said that if war breaks out, “there will be no place in the entity (Israel) safe from our missiles and marches,” and that Cyprus and other places in the Mediterranean region will also be in danger.
For his part, Israeli Defence Minister, Yoav Galant stated that "Hezbollah" was the one who started the war, and stressed that it was "Israel's duty" to change the situation, according to Israeli Channel 12.
The US State Department said that Secretary Anthony Blinken told Israeli officials during a meeting, on Thursday of the need to avoid further escalation in Lebanon amid the war in Gaza.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Gutierrez, on Friday, expressed his deep concern about “the escalation of tension between Israel and the Lebanese Hezbollah group,” adding that United Nations peacekeeping forces are working to calm the situation and prevent miscalculations.
For its part, the Iranian mission to the United Nations stressed that “any unwise decision taken by the Israeli regime to save itself could plunge the region into a new war,” adding that “Hezbollah has the ability to defend itself and Lebanon against Israel.”