NZ tells citizens to leave Iran and Lebanon now ‘while options remain’

RNZ News ¹

The coalition government is telling New Zealanders in Iran and Lebanon to leave immediately as tensions rise in the Middle East.

“The New Zealand government urges New Zealanders in Lebanon and Iran to leave now while options remain available,” Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters said in a social media post today.

“We also recommend New Zealanders in Israel consider whether they need to remain in the country.”

• READ MORE: US, UK and France ask their citizens to leave Lebanon as war fears loom ²
• Other Israel’s War on Gaza reports ³

The New Zealand Government urges New Zealanders in Lebanon and Iran to leave now while options remain available.

We also recommend New Zealanders in Israel consider whether they need to remain in the country.

-WP

— Winston Peters (@NewZealandMFA) August 4, 2024 ⁴

It comes after the government updated its Safetravel advisory, warning people not to travel to Lebanon ⁵ due to what it called the volatile security situation.

The advisory elevated Lebanon to the highest level, meaning “extreme risk”.

The United States has urged citizens to leave Lebanon on “any available ticket” ⁶ , while the British Foreign Secretary warned British citizens in Lebanon to leave immediately or risk “becoming trapped in a warzone”.

Iran vowed retaliation
Iran has vowed to retaliate against Israel, which it blames for the killing of Ismail Haniyeh ⁷ , the head of the Hamas political bureau, earlier this week.

Just hours before his assassination, Israel killed Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr ⁸ in an air strike.

There are fears that Hezbollah — which is based in Lebanon and backed by Iran — could play a big part in any retaliation.

That, in turn, could result in a huge Israeli response.

Israel has been at war with Hamas since the resistance group’s attack on 7 October 2023 which saw nearly 1200 people killed.

Israel’s ground and air campaigns have killed more than 40,000 people in Gaza in the months since, according to Palestinian health authorities.

This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

This content originally appeared on Asia Pacific Report ⁹ and was authored by APR editor.