Americans Urged to Leave Lebanon as Israel, Hezbollah Trade Fire

The U.S. government has updated a travel advisory urging all citizens in Lebanon to depart while commercial flights are still available amid signs that tensions between Iran-backed Hezbollah and Israel could escalate further.
Several major airlines have postponed or canceled flights in and out of Beirut and Israel’s Tel Aviv airports in the wake of the deadly explosions of pagers belonging to Hezbollah members this week, with some airlines suspending operations well into next year. The State Department warned that further disruptions to air travel are likely.
“At this time, commercial flights are available but at reduced capacity,” the federal agency said. “If the security situation worsens, commercial options to depart may become unavailable.”
The State Department advised that those who decide to remain in Lebanon prepare to shelter in place if conditions “deteriorate further,” noting that in such a scenario, the U.S. Embassy in Beirut might not be able to help them.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on Sept. 20 that a targeted strike had killed Ibrahim Aqil, a member of Hezbollah’s highest military body, the Jihad Council, since 2008, and head of the elite Radwan Forces. Aqil was believed to be behind the 1983 suicide bombing of the U.S. Embassy in Beirut, which killed 63 people, and the bombing of a U.S. Marine compound in Beirut, which killed 241 people later that year.
Aqil, 61, was the second high-ranking Hezbollah commander to be killed in an Israeli airstrike in the terrorist group’s stronghold in southern Beirut.
“The IDF will continue operating to dismantle and degrade Hezbollah’s capabilities and terrorist infrastructure,” it said.
The latest exchange marks an escalation in fighting between Hezbollah and Israel since Oct. 8, 2023, when they began regularly trading fire after Hamas terrorists invaded Israel, triggering the ongoing war in Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip.
On July 30, Israel reported launching an airstrike that killed Fuad Shukr, a founding member of Hezbollah’s armed wing. Shukr was blamed for an earlier rocket attack that killed 12 children in the Israel-controlled Golan Heights.
The State Department upgraded its travel advisory for Lebanon to level 4, “Do Not Travel,” on July 31, citing “rising tensions between [Hezbollah] and Israel.” The advisory remains in effect.