Beirut: The Indian Embassy in Lebanon has issued a fresh advisory for Indian nationals and strongly advised them to leave the nation amid the tense situation in the country following the killings of top Hamas leaders in the past 48 hours. "In view of the recent developments and potential threats in the region, Indian nationals are strongly advised against travelling to Lebanon till further notice," the Embassy said in a social media post on Thursday. The latest alert came just hours after it released a travel advisory asking Indian nationals to "avoid all non-essential travel to the region". At that time, it did not advise Indian nationals to leave the country. Notably, this was the third travel advisory issued by the Embassy within 48 hours.
"Those who remain for any reason are advised to exercise extreme caution, restrict their movements and remain in contact with the Embassy of India in Beirut through their email id: cons.beirut@mea.gov.in or emergency phone number +96176860128," added the advisory.
Why Indian Embassy has issued a travel advisory for Lebanon?
The suspected assassination by Israel of Hamas' Haniyeh in Iran on Wednesday and Fuad Shukr, Hezbollah's most senior military commander, in Beirut a few hours earlier increases the risk of a dangerous escalation in Israel's Gaza war and of a regional conflagration between Israel, Iran and its proxies. It indicates that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is determined to shift the war’s rules of engagement, moving beyond Gaza to directly eliminate Hamas leaders and strike Iran proxies elsewhere, officials and analysts in the region said.
The attack is seen by analysts and officials as one of Israel's biggest blows yet to Iran and its allies. The timing and location were also chosen to embarrass Tehran, which was hosting Haniyeh and other regional dignitaries at the inauguration of its new president, Masoud Pezeshkian, they said. Two Iranian sources told Reuters that Haniyeh's killing sent shockwaves through Iran's top leadership, who are now deeply concerned that their security forces may have been infiltrated by Israel. There is also growing anxiety about their arch-foe's ability to reach and assassinate high-ranking Iranian officials.
Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said avenging the killing is Iran's "duty" as it occurred in the Iranian capital. Israel had provided the grounds for harsh punishment for itself, he said. The killing confronts Pezeshkian with his first major crisis. Iran has adopted a dual policy of avoiding direct engagement in full-scale war while backing militant groups which have been firing at Israel from Lebanon, Yemen, Iraq and Syria.
What does this mean for Hezbollah?
The attack on Shukr compounded the risks of escalation in the conflict between heavily armed Hezbollah and Israel, which have been exchanging fire since the Gaza war erupted in October in a largely contained confrontation. Analysts say Hezbollah will be compelled to retaliate with a response that reflects his standing as Hezbollah's top military commander but also takes account of the fact that Israel struck him in the Hezbollah-controlled southern suburbs of Beirut. Hezbollah could attack areas of Israel it has not yet hit in the current conflict, including urban centres, risking a spiral of retaliation and counter-retaliation.
(With inputs from agency)
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