Japan advises its citizens to ‘evacuate Lebanon-Israel border area immediately’

People with their luggage wait at a bus stop in the northern Israeli town of Kiryat Shmona on the border with Lebanon, to be evacuated on Oct. 22, 2023. (AFP)
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TOKYO: Japan’s Foreign Ministry raised the danger alert for the Lebanon-Israel border zone to level 4, the highest level, signifying “evacuate immediately.”

The safety division of the Foreign Ministry explained the background of the advice. “Missiles were launched by armed groups in southern Lebanon toward Israel since October 7, incidents reported bombing border fences and invading Israeli territory, and mortar shells have been confirmed on the neighboring border with Syria. That means there is an extremely high risk of being involved in an “unexpected situation.”

Given the “deteriorating situation” there, the division advised Japanese citizens to “refrain from traveling to that area for any purpose.” The advice asked those there to ensure their safety and evacuate without hesitation.

The Ministry also issued a level 3 danger warning for the West Bank (excluding Jericho, Bethlehem, Ramallah, the main roads connecting these three cities and Jerusalem, and National Highways 1 and 0 within the West Bank).

The advisory has been raised to “recommendation against travel to the areas indicated for any purpose” and asked those currently there “to consider leaving while commercial flights are still available.”