Middle East Escalation Possible... US Tells Citizens to "Leave Lebanon"

Lebanese State News Agency "Israel Conducts Over 100 Airstrikes per Hour"
Hezbollah Fires Missiles and Rockets... Clashes Intensify After 'Beep Beep Explosion'

As clashes between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah intensify, the U.S. government has advised its citizens in Lebanon to leave the country.

Smoke rising from southern Lebanon due to Israeli airstrikes
[AFP=Yonhap News. Reproduction and DB prohibited]

On the 21st (local time), according to AFP, the U.S. State Department urged, "We urge U.S. citizens to leave Lebanon while commercial options remain available." It added, "Currently, commercial flights are available but capacity is decreasing," warning that if the security situation worsens, it "may become impossible to depart using civilian aircraft." Additionally, U.S. citizens located in southern Lebanon, near the Syrian border, and refugee camp areas were urged to leave immediately.

This advisory came amid escalating military clashes between Israel and Hezbollah following simultaneous explosions of pagers and walkie-talkies over two consecutive days on the 17th and 18th in Lebanon. Hezbollah accused Israel of being behind the explosions and vowed retaliation, prompting Israel to increase pressure with large-scale airstrikes in southern Lebanon. The day before, Israel attacked the outskirts of Beirut, Lebanon’s capital, eliminating key commanders including Ibrahim Akil, who leads Hezbollah’s elite special forces.

Earlier, on the 19th, Hezbollah launched 140 rockets targeting northern Israel. The U.S. State Department stated that due to the ongoing unpredictable conflict between Hezbollah and Israel and recent explosions across Lebanon including Beirut, it advises its citizens to depart.

The clashes between Israel and Hezbollah continued on the same day. The U.S. daily The New York Times (NYT) reported that the Israeli military deployed dozens of fighter jets to strike Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon in the afternoon. According to a statement posted on X (formerly Twitter) by the Israeli military, from the afternoon onward, approximately 290 targets including Hezbollah rocket launchers and other military infrastructure in southern Lebanon were attacked. They also explained that about 110 Hezbollah targets were struck in a series of attacks over the past few hours.

The Israeli military said it detected signs that Hezbollah was attempting to launch rockets and drones across the southern Lebanon border and targeted hundreds of Hezbollah rocket launchers. Lebanon’s state-run NNA news agency reported that between 1:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m., Israel conducted 111 airstrikes in southern Lebanon including Nabatiyeh. The Israeli military stated that it carried out a large-scale attack using fighter jets in southern Lebanon, hitting 180 Hezbollah targets within an hour.

In response to Israel’s intense attacks, Hezbollah launched a counterattack. On the 22nd, Hezbollah announced via Telegram that it fired dozens of missiles at Israel’s Ramat David Airbase in retaliation for Israel’s repeated attacks on Lebanon. According to the Israeli military, Hezbollah also fired 90 rockets that day, causing a wildfire near the northern Israeli city of Safed.

The Israeli military issued emergency guidelines for the area stretching from the northern city of Haifa to the Lebanese border in preparation for Hezbollah’s retaliation. According to the guidelines, beaches in the area are closed, outdoor gatherings are limited to 30 people, and indoor gatherings to 300 people. Daniel Hagari, the Israeli military’s chief spokesperson, emphasized that "there may be additional threats such as rocket launches in a short time" and stressed the importance of "not lowering vigilance."

According to U.S. CNN, the Lebanese Ministry of Health reported that at least 82 people have died in recent days due to Israeli attacks and explosions of communication devices such as pagers. The death toll from the airstrike on the outskirts of Beirut on the 20th rose to 39. Among the deceased were three children and seven women, the Lebanese Ministry of Health said.

The Lebanese Ministry of Health also added that among approximately 2,950 injured from the pager explosion incident, 777 remain hospitalized and 152 are in critical condition. Lebanese Health Minister Firas Abiad claimed that the majority of the injured were civilians present in shops and supermarkets at the time, condemning Israel’s actions as "war crimes."