American citizens in Lebanon "are strongly encouraged to depart now," the U.S. Embassy in Beirut said in a new alert Monday.The embassy has been urging Americans to depart Lebanon via commercial flights in recent weeks. Monday's warning was the starkest yet.
The embassy noted it had helped add thousands of extra seats to commercial flights to help Americans leave amid the escalating conflict between Israel and Hezbollah."Much of this capacity has gone unused," Monday's alert said. "Please understand that these additional flights will not continue indefinitely.""U.S. citizens who choose not to depart at this time should prepare contingency plans should the situation deteriorate further," the embassy said."These alternative plans should not rely on the U.S. government for assisted departure or evacuation," the notice read.The embassy has been warning citizens not to travel to Lebanon since July.
October 14