Israel-Lebanon conflict: Indian Embassy in Beirut issues advisory

Beirut, July 29 (IANS) Indian nationals currently in Lebanon and those planning to travel to the West Asian country are advised to "exercise caution," the Indian Embassy in Beirut said in an advisory issued on Monday.

Tensions in the region have escalated following a rocket strike on a soccer field in northern Israel's Majdal Shams on July 27 that resulted in the death of 12 children and injured several others.

Israel and the USA blamed Hezbollah for the air strike with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying that Hezbollah will pay a "heavy price which it has not paid up to now" for the attack.

Netanyahu also held a security assessment meeting in Tel Aviv on Sunday during which "the manner and timing of the response" against Hezbollah was decided.

Several flights heading to Beirut have also been suspended over the last couple of days following the Israeli threat of military action against Hezbollah.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who was in Tokyo on Monday, also expressed Washington's support for Israel, highlighting Israel's right to self-defence while also urging the need to avoid escalation of the conflict on Israel's northern border.

"We don't want to see the conflict escalate. We don't want to see it spread," Blinken said on the sidelines of the Quad Foreign Ministers Meeting.

Meanwhile, the Indian Embassy in Beirut shared an emergency mail ID and phone number, asking the Indian nationals in the country to remain in touch.

According to the Indian embassy, there are nearly 4000 Indian nationals in Lebanon, with a majority of them employed as workers in companies, construction sector, agricultural farms, etc.

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