People gather at the scene of an Israeli strike that targeted Beirut’s southern suburbs in September 2024. — AFP/VNA Photo

HÀ NỘI — The Vietnamese Embassy in Egypt and Lebanon on September 26 continued to recommend Vietnamese citizens living and working in Lebanon leave the country, amid the risk that tensions between the Israeli army and the Hezbollah escalate into a full-scale conflict in the Middle East.

Previously, on September 23, the embassy issued an urgent notice recommending Vietnamese citizens to leave Lebanon.

In its latest urgent notice, the embassy also advised Vietnamese citizens who plan to go to Lebanon should postpone or cancel their trips. For Vietnamese citizens who cannot leave Lebanon due to force majeure, the embassy reiterated that they need to be vigilant, closely follow the situation on local media, refrain from gathering in crowded places and absolutely do not go near the southern area of Beirut, the southern area near the border with Israel and the northern and eastern areas (Beeka Valley) near the border with Syria.

According to the embassy, there are 13 Vietnamese citizens living and working in Lebanon, and the Vietnamese community in Lebanon is still safe. It recommends that people find temporary shelter in safer areas and stock up on food and medicine to prepare for bad situations.

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

Currently, many airlines have suspended flights to Beirut such as Flydubai, Etihad, Qatar Airways, EgyptAir, Lufthansa, and British Airways. Many countries including the US, Australia, UK, Italy, and Egypt have asked their citizens to leave immediately or not to travel to Lebanon.

Arab countries, the US and the European Union (EU) on September 25 issued a joint statement calling for a "temporary ceasefire" in Lebanon. The joint statement was approved by the EU, the US, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Qatar. The statement was issued after Israel conducted a series of airstrikes targeting Hezbollah forces in Lebanon in the last few days, threatening to push the Middle East into a full-scale conflict. — VNS