Germany Appeals to Citizens: Don't Wait for Evacuation from Lebanon

06 August 2024, Lebanon, Beirut: Planes are seen on the runway at Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport. Photo: Marwan Naamani/ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
06 August 2024, Lebanon, Beirut: Planes are seen on the runway at Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport. Photo: Marwan Naamani/ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
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Germany Appeals to Citizens: Don't Wait for Evacuation from Lebanon

06 August 2024, Lebanon, Beirut: Planes are seen on the runway at Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport. Photo: Marwan Naamani/ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
06 August 2024, Lebanon, Beirut: Planes are seen on the runway at Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport. Photo: Marwan Naamani/ZUMA Press Wire/dpa

Rumors of a possible evacuation operation from Lebanon have given German citizens there a false sense of security, a German foreign ministry spokesperson said on Wednesday, urging them to leave the country immediately.

"The time now has come to leave Lebanon," the spokesperson said, calling on citizens to organize their own exit even if this means travelling via Türkiye or paying high prices for flights.

A spokesperson for the defense ministry declined to give details on preparations for possible evacuations in the event of an all-out war.

Fears are high of an escalation into a wider regional war, with Iran vowing revenge against Israel over Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh's killing and Lebanon's Hezbollah threatening to retaliate over Israel's killing of Fouad Shukr, one of its top commanders, in an airstrike in Beirut’s southern suburbs last week.

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah on Tuesday pledged a "strong and effective" response.

He said Hezbollah would wait for the right moment to respond but did not hint at its form or timing.
All international attempts at persuading Hezbollah not to retaliate were futile, he added.



US Sanctions Shipping Companies, Vessels for Delivery of Oil and Gas to Houthis

 A Yemeni man inspects the damage reportedly caused by US airstrikes in Sanaa, Yemen, Sunday, April 27, 2025. (AP)
A Yemeni man inspects the damage reportedly caused by US airstrikes in Sanaa, Yemen, Sunday, April 27, 2025. (AP)
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US Sanctions Shipping Companies, Vessels for Delivery of Oil and Gas to Houthis

 A Yemeni man inspects the damage reportedly caused by US airstrikes in Sanaa, Yemen, Sunday, April 27, 2025. (AP)
A Yemeni man inspects the damage reportedly caused by US airstrikes in Sanaa, Yemen, Sunday, April 27, 2025. (AP)

The United States imposed sanctions on Monday on three vessels and their owners for delivering oil and gas products to Yemen's Houthis, as Washington continues to put pressure on the Iran-backed militants over their attacks on Red Sea shipping.

The sanctions targeted Marshall Islands-registered Zaas Shipping & Trading Co and Great Success Shipping Co, and Mauritius-registered Bagsak Shipping Co and the cargo vessels they used to deliver oil and gas products to the Houthi-controlled port of Ras Isa, the Treasury Department said in a statement.

"Today’s action underscores our commitment to disrupt the Houthis’ efforts to fund their dangerous and destabilizing attacks in the region," Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Michael Faulkender said. "Treasury will continue to leverage our tools and authorities to target those who seek to enable the Houthis’ ability to exploit the people of Yemen and continue their campaign of violence."

The sanctions came hours after Houthi-controlled television said a US airstrike killed 68 people at a detention center for African migrants in Yemen.

The United States in March designated the Houthis as a "Foreign Terrorist Organization," accusing the group of threatening the security of American civilians and personnel in the Middle East as well as partners in the region and global maritime trade.

The attacks on ships, which the Houthis say are in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, have disrupted global commerce, stoked fears of inflation and deepened concern about the fallout from the Israel-Hamas war.