Saudi Arabia on August 4 called on its citizens in Lebanon to leave the country immediately and advised others not to travel there, citing escalating tensions in southern Lebanon.

The Saudi embassy in Lebanon said in a statement that it was closely monitoring developments in the region as videos coming from Beirut’s Rafic Harriri Airport showed several flights cancelled to European destinations, including Germany and Greece, and large numbers of people attempting to leave via the main terminal.

"The embassy renews its call for all citizens to adhere to the travel ban to Lebanon, and for those currently there to leave Lebanese territory immediately," the statement said.

The embassy also urged Saudi citizens to contact it in case of any emergency.

This advisory comes in the wake of rising tensions following the assassination of Hezbollah commander Fouad Shukr in southern Beirut. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah had previously warned that "Israel should wait for our inevitable response after crossing red lines."

On August 4 bnm IntelliNews also learned Emirates, Wizzair and Aegean have all cancelled flights to Tel Aviv Ben Gurion airport. The local Israir and Arkia Israeli flights are listed as delayed. All flights between Tel Aviv and Eilat have been cancelled until further notice

Earlier on August 3, Britian upgraded its warning over Lebanon advising its citizens to leave Beirut as a potential clashes could occur in the coming day between Lebanon and Israel.

“The Government has called for British nationals in Lebanon to leave now as it bolsters its support for British nationals still in the Middle East,” the FCDO website announced.

"Tensions are high, and the situation could deteriorate rapidly. While we are working round the clock to strengthen our consular presence in Lebanon, my message to British nationals there is clear – leave now," Foreign Secretary David Lammy said.

The US embassy in Beirut also announced a security alert to encourage American citizens in the country "to book any ticket available to them, even if that flight does not depart immediately or does not follow their first-choice route."

The warnings follow those of France and Poland, which warned its citizens of the region: “In connection with a growing number of Polish tourists visiting Lebanon, Israel and Iran, we want to repeat that we have long advised against any kind of travel to this region,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on the social media platform X.

“The unstable security situation makes it possible to believe that it will be more and more difficult to leave the three countries,” the ministry added.

Earlier on August 2, Polish airline LOT announced the cancellation of eight flights to Lebanon and Israel due to the security situation.

Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) initiated a call on July 31 that advised against all travel to the region.

“We continue to advise that Australians do not travel to Lebanon due to the volatile security situation and the risk of the security situation deteriorating further” DFAT noted.

“Since 19 October 2023, our advice has been Do Not Travel to Lebanon,” the department added.