US urges citizens to leave Lebanon on 'any available ticket'

The US embassy in Beirut has urged its citizens to leave Lebanon on “any ticket available”, amid soaring tensions in the Middle East.

The advisory follows a similar warning from UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy, who said the regional situation “could deteriorate rapidly”.

Iran has vowed “severe” retaliation against Israel, which it blames for the death of Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran on Wednesday. His assassination came hours after Israel killed Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr in Beirut, reports BBC.

It is feared that Lebanon-based Hezbollah, an Iran-backed group, could play a heavy role in any such retaliation, which in turn could spark a serious Israeli response.

Hezbollah launched dozens of rockets at the town of Beit Hillel in northern Israel at around 00:25 local time on Sunday (22:25 BST Saturday).

Footage posted on social media showed Israel's Iron Dome air defence system intercepting the rockets. There have been no reports of casualties.

Jordan's Foreign Ministry has also issued advice to its citizens, telling those in Lebanon to leave immediately and warning others not to travel there.

Canada has warned its nationals to avoid travel to Israel, on top of existing advice against going to Lebanon, because the "situation can deteriorate further without warning" in the region.

The US embassy stated on Saturday that those who choose to stay in Lebanon should “prepare contingency plans” and be prepared to “shelter in place for an extended period of time”.