Lebanon security source says four Hezbollah fighters killed in Israel strike
China urges citizens to take ‘caution’ in Lebanon travel
BEIRUT: Lebanon’s health ministry said four people were killed in an Israeli strike on the south on Tuesday, with a security source telling AFP the dead were all Hezbollah fighters.
“Following the Israeli enemy raid on a house in the town of Mayfadun... four people were killed,” the ministry said in a statement.
Requesting anonymity to discuss sensitive matters, the security source said “they were all Hezbollah fighters.”
Meanwhile, China’s embassy in Beirut urged citizens to “travel with caution” should they visit Lebanon, warning they face “higher security risks” as fears of a regional conflict soar.
In a statement issued Monday evening Beijing time, the embassy warned citizens the situation in the country was “grave and complex”.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Chinese Embassy in Lebanon remind Chinese citizens to closely monitor the evolution of the local situation and to travel with caution in Lebanon in the near future,” the embassy said on its official WeChat account.
As Israel’s war against Iran-backed Hamas in Gaza nears the 11th month, the Tehran-aligned “Axis of Resistance” is widely expected to retaliate after the killing of two senior figures.
Palestinian armed group Hamas’s political leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed in Tehran last week in an attack blamed on Israel, which has not directly commented on it.
The killing came hours after an Israeli strike on Beirut killed the military chief of Lebanon’s Hezbollah movement, Fuad Shukr.
Hezbollah and Israel have continued near-daily exchanges of fire.
Multiple nations called on Monday for their citizens to leave Lebanon, where Hezbollah is based.
Beijing’s embassy also advised Chinese to “remain very vigilant” should they travel to the country.
“If Chinese citizens insist on going (to Lebanon) despite the warning, they may face higher security risks,” it cautioned.