Islamabad activates crisis management cell for Pakistanis stranded in Lebanon

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistani foreign affairs ministry said on Sunday it had activated a crisis management cell to facilitate Pakistani nationals stranded in Lebanon, amid continuing Israeli attacks against Hezbollah.
Israel struck more targets in Lebanon on Sunday, pressing Hezbollah with new attacks after killing the Iran-backed group’s leader, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, and a string of its other top commanders in an escalating military campaign.
The attacks have dealt a succession of blows to Hezbollah after almost a year of cross-border fire, killing much of its leadership and revealing gaping security holes. Israel’s defense minister is now discussing widening the offensive.
Amid continuing Israeli strikes, Pakistan’s foreign affairs ministry said Islamabad and its embassy in Beirut were making efforts to facilitate Pakistani nationals caught up in the crisis situation in Lebanon.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has activated its Crisis Management Unit,” it said in a statement. “Pakistani nationals in Lebanon and their families are encouraged to contact the CMU.”
The CMU could be reached at landline: 051-9207887 and email: cmu1@mofa.gov.pk, according to the statement.
Pakistani embassy in Beirut is available round the clock at mobile phone or WhatsApp numbers: 00961-81669488 and 00961-81815104, and email: parepbeirut@mofa.gov.pk.
Israel’s intensifying bombardment has increased fears the conflict could spin out of control, potentially drawing in Iran as well as the United States, Israel’s closest ally.
Following the death of Nasrallah — killed in a massive airstrike in Beirut on Friday — Hezbollah launched new fusillades of rockets into Israel, while Iran said his death would be avenged.
The fighting between Hezbollah and Israel, their latest round of warfare in four decades of on-off conflict, has been waged in parallel with Israel’s war on Gaza since the Palestinian group’s attack on Israel on Oct. 7 last year.