The US-mediated Lebanon ceasefire is unraveling fast amid intensified fighting between Israel and Hezbollah on Thursday.
This has resulted in the US embassy in Beirut issuing an urgent renewed security alert,urging US citizens to depart Lebanon while commercial flight options are still available.
The statement explained the security situation "remains complex and can change quickly." It further said that those who don't or cannot leave must be prepared to encounter emergency situations, and also warned of unexploded ordnance which has resulted in the recent war.
A 10-day ceasefire is still technically in effect - which began about six days ago after it was brokered between Lebanese and Israel officials in Washington D.C.
However,Hezbollah did not sign on, while also Israel said it would continue going after the Iran-allied paramilitary group, chiefly in the south of the country, where it has its main outposts.
At this point about 2,300 Lebanese have been killed since fighting intensified, including civilians, according to Beirut officials - and on the Israeli side, at least 13 soldiers and two civilians have died.
Lebanese media reported Wednesday that two journalists, Amal Khalil and Zeinab Faraj, were wounded in an Israel airstrike in the village of A-Tiri in southern Lebanon. According to the reports, Red Cross teams were dispatched to evacuate them. Later reports said two bodies and Faraj were recovered, while Khalil remained trapped, with Lebanese officials blaming Israel for difficulties in reaching her.
Lebanon’s president, Joseph Aoun, said he was following developments and instructed the Red Cross to continue rescue efforts. A senior Lebanese army official told Reuters that an Israeli drone dropped a grenade near rescue teams, adding that Lebanon had appealed to Israel through the United States to allow access to the area.
And Israel has charged Hezbollah with breaching the ceasefire by sending drones and rockets into Israel lately.
Lebanon: The U.S. Embassy in Beirut is closely monitoring the security situation in Lebanon. The security environment remains complex and can change quickly. We urge U.S. citizens to depart Lebanon while commercial flight options remain available. We recommend that U.S. citizens…pic.twitter.com/RwHBB4DKpC
Source: ZeroHedge News