Americans told to flee Lebanon now as Hezbollah targets Israel

Black smoke rises from an Israeli airstrike on the outskirts of Aita al-Shaab, a Lebanese border village with Israel in south Lebanon, Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

The US Embassy in Lebanon is urging Americans to evacuate the country due to increasing danger of the Israel-Hamas conflict spilling over.

"The State Department recommends that U.S. citizens in Lebanon leave now, while commercial flights remain available, due to the unpredictable security situation," the embassy said in a security alert.

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Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah has threatened to escalate the ongoing conflict between the Israeli Defense Forces and Hamas.

"You should have a plan of action for crisis situations that does not rely on U.S. government assistance. The best time to leave a country is before a crisis, if at all possible. U.S. military-assisted evacuations of civilians from a foreign country are rare," the embassy wrote. 

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"There is no guarantee the U.S. government will evacuate private U.S. citizens and their family members in a crisis situation," it added.

Emergency visa services and visa processing are being limited to prioritize the evacuation of US civilians.