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Germany Announces Evacuations from Lebanon

Smoke billows over Khiam, amid ongoing cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, as pictured from Marjeyoun, near the Lebanese border with Israel, September 30, 2024. (Reuters)
Smoke billows over Khiam, amid ongoing cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, as pictured from Marjeyoun, near the Lebanese border with Israel, September 30, 2024. (Reuters)
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Germany Announces Evacuations from Lebanon

Smoke billows over Khiam, amid ongoing cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, as pictured from Marjeyoun, near the Lebanese border with Israel, September 30, 2024. (Reuters)
Smoke billows over Khiam, amid ongoing cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, as pictured from Marjeyoun, near the Lebanese border with Israel, September 30, 2024. (Reuters)

Germany has evacuated non-essential staff, families of embassy workers and German nationals who are medically vulnerable out of Lebanon and will support others trying to leave, a joint statement by the foreign and defense ministries said on Monday.

The German foreign ministry raised its crisis level for missions in Beirut, Ramallah and Tel Aviv again at the weekend, though the embassies there remain operational.

There are currently 1,800 registered German citizens in Lebanon, a spokesperson for the German foreign ministry said on Monday.

"The embassy continues to support the remaining Germans in Lebanon in their efforts to leave the country via commercial flights and other means. The Foreign Office and the Ministry of Defense continue to coordinate very closely on this," the statement said.

Israel has hit Lebanon with a two-week wave of attacks, eliminating Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah and several commanders but also killing around 1,000 Lebanese and forcing 1 million to flee their homes. Hezbollah has pledged to confront any Israeli ground invasion of Lebanon.

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Israel Begins Ground Offensive Against Hezbollah in Southern Lebanon

An Israeli tank maneuvers in northern Israel near the Israel-Lebanon border, Monday, Sept. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Baz Ratner)
An Israeli tank maneuvers in northern Israel near the Israel-Lebanon border, Monday, Sept. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Baz Ratner)
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Israel Begins Ground Offensive Against Hezbollah in Southern Lebanon

An Israeli tank maneuvers in northern Israel near the Israel-Lebanon border, Monday, Sept. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Baz Ratner)
An Israeli tank maneuvers in northern Israel near the Israel-Lebanon border, Monday, Sept. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Baz Ratner)

Israeli ground forces crossed into southern Lebanon early Tuesday, marking a significant escalation of an offensive against Hezbollah militants.
The incursion follows weeks of heavy blows by Israel against Hezbollah — including an airstrike that killed its longtime leader, Hassan Nasrallah — and seeks to step up the pressure on the group, which began firing rockets into northern Israel after the start of the war in Gaza.

The Israeli military said in a brief statement that it began “limited, localized and targeted ground raids” against Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon.

“These targets are located in villages close to the border and pose an immediate threat to Israeli communities in northern Israel,” it said.

There was no word on how long the operation would last, but the army said soldiers had been training and preparing for the mission in recent months. Israel has said it will continue to strike the group until it is safe for displaced Israelis from border communities to return to their homes.

Ahead of the Israeli announcement, United States officials said Israel launched small ground raids inside Lebanon, and Israel declared three small border communities to be a “closed military zone,” restricting access only to army personnel.
There were no reports of direct clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah militants. But throughout the evening, Israeli artillery units pounded targets in southern Lebanon and the sounds of airstrikes were heard throughout Beirut.