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France Urges Citizens to Leave Iran, Lebanon Due to Military Risks

Smoke rises from Kfar Kila, amid cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, as pictured from Marjeyoun, near the border with Israel, Lebanon August 3, 2024. (Reuters)
Smoke rises from Kfar Kila, amid cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, as pictured from Marjeyoun, near the border with Israel, Lebanon August 3, 2024. (Reuters)
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France Urges Citizens to Leave Iran, Lebanon Due to Military Risks

Smoke rises from Kfar Kila, amid cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, as pictured from Marjeyoun, near the border with Israel, Lebanon August 3, 2024. (Reuters)
Smoke rises from Kfar Kila, amid cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, as pictured from Marjeyoun, near the border with Israel, Lebanon August 3, 2024. (Reuters)

France urged its citizens in Iran and Lebanon to leave the countries due to a risk of military escalation in the Middle East, the foreign ministry said on Sunday in two separate travel advisories.

The French foreign ministry recommended citizens residing in Iran to temporarily leave the country given the risk of its airspace being closed. The ministry had urged citizens traveling in Iran to leave on Friday.

The ministry called on its citizens in Lebanon, especially those on trips there, to take advantage of the fact that there are still commercial flights available to leave.

Air France said on Saturday it and its affiliate Transavia were further extending their suspensions of flights between Paris and Beirut until at least Aug. 6.

Tensions have soared following the assassination of Palestinian group Hamas' leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran on Wednesday, a day after an Israeli strike in Beirut killed Fuad Shukr, a top military commander from Lebanese armed group Hezbollah.

French Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken shared their concern over rising frictions in the Middle East in a phone call on Saturday. 

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Lebanon: Families of Victims Commemorate Port Explosion, Adhere to Justice

A scene of massive destruction in the port of Beirut after the explosion (Archive - AFP)
A scene of massive destruction in the port of Beirut after the explosion (Archive - AFP)
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Lebanon: Families of Victims Commemorate Port Explosion, Adhere to Justice

A scene of massive destruction in the port of Beirut after the explosion (Archive - AFP)
A scene of massive destruction in the port of Beirut after the explosion (Archive - AFP)

The fourth anniversary of the Beirut Port explosion comes amid a blocked horizon for the resumption of the judicial investigations, which have been stalled for two and a half years.
The families of the victims will mark the occasion on Sunday at 5 p.m. by holding two demonstrations. The first begins from Martyrs’ Square in central Beirut, and the second from the headquarters of the Beirut Fire Brigade in the Karantina area. They will later gather in front of the Lebanese Emigrant Statue in the vicinity of the port.

William Noun, brother of victim Joe Noun, called for a massive participation in the event, in order to convey a message to the officials that their “cause will remain alive.”
He told Asharq Al-Awsat that the positions to be launched during the demonstration will all converge on one goal – the “completion of the investigation... so that the Lebanese people know the truth about what happened and (uncover the identity of) those responsible for the crime that killed our brothers.”
The explosion that rocked Beirut on Aug.4, 2020 claimed the lives of 230 people, injured more than 5,000 and destroyed a third of the capital’s buildings.
“The confrontation is difficult with a political team that has no goal other than to undermine the investigation,” Noun said.
Since the judicial investigator Tariq Al-Bitar issued the prosecution list in early July 2021, and included the names of politicians and security leaders, the plan to end his judgeship began through dozens of lawsuits filed by the political defendants against him, which led to the cessation of his procedures since December 23, 2021.
The United Nations Special Coordinator in Lebanon, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, met on Saturday with the families of a number of victims, who renewed their “resolute endeavor to uncover the truth and enforce justice and accountability.”
The families shared their experiences of the unprecedented tragedy that shattered their lives, homes, and communities, adding that despite their relentless pursuit of truth and accountability over the past four years, their efforts have been in vain, with the investigation into the explosion stalled.
The special coordinator echoed the UN secretary-general’s call for an impartial, thorough, and transparent investigation to bring truth, justice, and accountability.