Rescuers transfer a man injured in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut, Lebanon, on Sept. 20, 2024. An Israeli airstrike on Beirut's southern suburbs killed at least 12 people and wounded 66 others, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry, — XINHUA/VNA Photo

HÀ NỘI — The Vietnamese Embassy in Egypt and Lebanon on Monday issued an urgent notice recommending Vietnamese citizens living and working in Lebanon leave the country when commercial flights are still operational, in the context of escalating and spreading conflict in the region.

In its notice, the embassy also advised Vietnamese citizens planning to travel to the Middle East country to suspend or cancel their trips until the situation stabilises. For those currently living and working in Lebanon, the embassy emphasised that if they cannot leave the country due to force majeure, they should remain vigilant, keep a close watch on developments on local media, minimise gatherings in crowded places, and avoid approaching the Lebanon-Israel border, the southern areas of Beirut, and the northern regions near the border with Syria.

The embassy urged Vietnamese citizens to find temporary shelters in safer areas and prepare a stock of food and medicine in case of worse situations.

The agency stated that it will continue to monitor the situation and keep close contact with citizens to prepare contingency plans in case of an emergency. It is also ready to coordinate with relevant authorities when evacuation or protection of citizens from Lebanon is necessary.

In case of an emergency requiring assistance, citizens should contact the embassy via the hotline: +20 102 613 9869; the Vietnamese Honourary Consulate of Việt Nam in Lebanon: +961 70 229 300; or the citizen protection hotline: +84 981 84 84 84.

In August, the embassy said there were 11 Vietnamese citizens living and studying in Lebanon, mostly in capital city Beirut area. — VNS