‘High alert’: China issues Lebanon travel warning as Middle East tensions grow

Those still going to Lebanon despite the warning “may face higher security risk and the efficiency of the assistance they receive may be affected”, it warned.

This came hours after Israeli strikes on southern Beirut killed Hezbollah military chief Fuad Shukr.

Israel is on high alert in anticipation of retaliatory attacks from Iran-linked armed groups including Hamas and Hezbollah, and US President Joe Biden convened a security meeting on Monday on “developments in the Middle East”.

The US has said it will move additional warships and fighter jets to the region as the Iran-aligned “Axis of resistance” – involving groups also from Yemen, Iraq, and Syria – readies its response.

The US embassy in Lebanon has urged citizens to book “any ticket available” while Britain has asked its nationals to “leave now”.

But the Chinese advisory on Monday stopped short of instructing citizens to leave.

Since the Gaza war broke out in October, Israel and Hezbollah have exchanged strikes nearly every day, as the Lebanese group showed solidarity with Hamas, which controlled the Gaza Strip.

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Chinese-Israeli woman among 4 hostages rescued from Gaza

Chinese-Israeli woman among 4 hostages rescued from Gaza

Iran’s mission to the UN said it expected Hezbollah to hit deeper inside Israel and no longer be confined to military targets following last week’s assassinations.

On Tuesday morning, Israel said it shot down a “suspicious aerial target” that infiltrated its airspace from Lebanon after sirens were triggered in two northern communities. There were no casualties in the incident, according to the Times of Israel.

On Monday, Hezbollah claimed to have launched a drone attack that hit a military target in northern Israel, calling it retaliation for the recent assassinations and a show of support for Gaza, Associated Press reported.

Beijing has repeatedly called for restraint from all sides.

The soaring regional tensions have seen major airlines including Lufthansa, LOT Polish Airlines, Delta, Air France, Turkish Airlines and Singapore Airlines temporarily suspend flights to Israel, and they have also been avoiding Iranian and Lebanese airspace since last week.

China has deployed peacekeeping forces to Lebanon since 2006, as part of a UN peacekeeping mission established by the Security Council in 1978.

So far it has deployed 22 batches to the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, the latest in December, when 410 Chinese peacekeepers were designated to take on tasks including construction, medical assistance and mine clearance.

In July 2006, a People’s Liberation officer who also acted as an observer of the UN Truce Supervision Organisation in Lebanon, was killed in an Israeli air strike during the conflict with Hezbollah that year.