The US and UK on Saturday issued warnings to citizens in Lebanon to leave the country immediately amid growing fears of a regional war in the Middle East triggered by the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh on Wednesday. France issued a similar warning on Sunday, telling its citizens to leave as soon as possible.
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Summary:
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The US Saturday urged citizens in Lebanon to leave on "any ticket available" amid growing fears of a wider conflict in the Middle East following the death of Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh. The UK issued a similar warning to British nationals, telling them to “leave now”.
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Iran's Revolutionary Guards Saturday said that Israel killed Haniyeh using a "short-range projectile" launched from outside of his accommodation in Tehran, contradicting reports earlier in the week that Haniyeh had been killed by a bomb planted months before. Haniyeh was buried Friday at cemetery in Lusail, north of the Qatari capital.
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The US on Friday said it will send a fighter jet squadron to the Middle East, boosting its military presence in the region to help defend Israel from potential retaliation by Iran and its proxies.
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Haniyeh's assassination has left US, Egyptian and Qatari mediators scrambling to salvage talks for a ceasefire deal in Gaza after nearly 10 months of war.
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At least 39,550 Palestinians have been killed and 91,280 injured in Israel's war in Gaza, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run enclave. The Hamas-led October 7 attacks resulted in the deaths of more than 1,190 people, mostly civilians, according to official Israeli figures. Some 250 people were taken hostage, with about 120 remaining in Gaza, according to Israeli tallies. Many have been declared dead by Israeli authorities.
(FRANCE 24 with AP, AFP and Reuters)
