Middle East Tension: Germany issues evacuation orders, puts security on red

 

BERLIN – The German Foreign Office has again warned all German nationals remaining in Lebanon to leave the country or make urgent preparations, amid escalating tensions between Israel and Iran – and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militia in Lebanon.

A Foreign Office spokeswoman in Berlin said on Thursday that another letter has been sent to Germans telling them to leave Lebanon without delay, as the world waits for Tehran’s response to the killing of two leading Israeli opponents, including a Hezbollah commander.

Those who remain in the country “may have to fend for themselves in the crisis area for a longer period of time,” the message said.

“The embassy has urgently called on people to stock up on food, water, medicine and cash for several weeks,” the spokeswoman continued. At the start of the week, 2,100 German citizens were still in Lebanon.

The German embassy in Lebanon said the cancellation of commercial flights, the temporary closure of the airport, or a halt to other departure options would not automatically trigger an immediate evacuation operation by the German government.

The embassy also cited other hurdles, even if an evacuation were to take place.

“It is not possible to be picked up from home; even in the event of an evacuation, you must make your own way to the specified departure point. Participation in an evacuation is not free of charge. All visa requirements remain in place, travelling is only possible with complete and valid travel documents,” it added.

Meanwhile, German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser  has said that security  is on high alert in the home front due to the tense situation in the Middle East.

“We are monitoring very closely how possible further escalations will affect the security situation in Germany,” Faeser told the Rheinische Post regional newspaper on Thursday.

Faeser said the risk of further escalation in the Middle East was high, describing the situation as “extremely dangerous.”

The German government, along with its international partners, is working hard to de-escalate the situation, Faeser said.

“Since the terrorist attacks by Hamas on Israel on October 7, 2023, and the subsequent Gaza war, there has been a drastic increase in anti-Semitic crimes. Our security authorities are doing everything they can to break the spiral that leads from violence in the Middle East to even more repugnant anti-Semitism here,” she added.

Faeser also noted that authorities are taking decisive action against the Islamist scene, citing the ban on the Islamic Centre Hamburg and its branches across the country in late July.

Additionally, she mentioned previous bans on the Palestinian militant group Hamas and the pro-Palestinian network Samidoun in Germany.

Faeser expressed her “sincere gratitude” to Germany’s federal states for their ongoing efforts to protect Jewish and Israeli institutions in Germany through the deployment of strong police forces.