U.S. State Department issues new travel advisory in Middle East

WASHINGTON —The U.S. State Department on Saturday released a new travel advisory for Lebanon, due to the the unpredictable nature of the ongoing conflict between Hezbollah and Israel.

American who are still in the Country should immediately depart using commercial options while they remain available.

Israel has claimed the death of a senior Hezbollah military official after a rare Israeli airstrike in Beirut killed at least 37 people and wounded dozens more, shortly after Hezbollah pounded northern Israel with 140 rockets.

The strikes are part of a new cycle of escalation between the enemies that has raised fears of a full-out war erupting in the Middle East, particularly after two separate attacks in Lebanon in which communication devices exploded simultaneously around the country, reportedly killing 37 people and injuring more than 3,400 others.

Israel and Hezbollah have traded fire regularly since Hamas’ Oct. 7 assault on southern Israel ignited the Israeli military’s devastating offensive in Gaza.

-The Associated Press contributed to this report