The US embassy in Lebanon has told American citizens they are “strongly encouraged to depart now”.
A statement on its website said that since the end of September, the US government has “added thousands of seats [on flights] in extra capacity to accommodate US citizens and their family members”.
“Much of this capacity has gone unused,” it said. “These additional flights will not continue indefinitely”.
The embassy added that those choosing not to depart now “should not rely on the US government for assisted departure or evacuation” should the situation in the country deteriorate further.
Israel has started operations in neighbouring Lebanon in its fight against Iran-backed Hezbollah militants.
Number killed rises to 21 in Israel’s first strike on northern Lebanon
The number of people killed in an Israeli airstrike on an apartment building in northern Lebanon has risen to 21, according to the Lebanese Red Cross.
There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military and it was not clear what the target was.
The strike hit a small apartment building in the village of Aitou, which is part of the country’s Christian heartland in the north and far from Hezbollah’s main areas of influence in the south and east.
In our last post, a Red Cross official said it was the first strike on the region in the last year of hostilities.
Videos showed a large plume of smoke rising from the hilly village, with several destroyed cars next to a severely damaged building, as people tried to remove bodies from beneath rubble and trees.
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