China has called on its citizens in Israel to leave “as soon as possible” due to escalating tensions between Israel and Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militant group based in Lebanon. In a statement released Sunday, the Chinese embassy in Israel warned of the deteriorating security situation along the Israel-Lebanon border.
“Currently, the situation along the Israel-Lebanon border is extremely tense, with frequent military conflicts,” the embassy noted, describing the security environment in Israel as “severe, complex, and unpredictable.”
The embassy urged Chinese nationals to either return home or relocate to safer areas immediately.
The warning comes as Israel and Hezbollah continue to threaten an escalation of their cross-border attacks, despite international pleas for de-escalation to avoid a full-scale war. On Friday, an Israeli airstrike in a densely populated Hezbollah stronghold in southern Beirut killed Ibrahim Aqil, the commander of Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Force.
The strike followed a deadly series of blasts from communication devices in Lebanon on Tuesday and Wednesday, which left 39 dead and nearly 3,000 wounded. Israel was widely blamed for the coordinated attacks.
Last month, China also urged its citizens to leave Lebanon following an Israeli strike that killed a senior Palestinian militant. As the conflict intensifies, Beijing continues to express concern for the safety of its nationals in the region.
