3 Hongkongers evacuated from Lebanon as Israeli forces clash with Hezbollah

Hong Kong Free Press

Smoke rises from the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted a neighborhood in the southern suburb of Beirut early October 3, 2024. - The Israeli military issued orders in the early hours of October 3, telling people to leave multiple areas of densely-populated southern Beirut, where it says it will hit Hezbollah sites. Photo: Fadel Itani/AFP.

Three Hongkongers have been evacuated from Lebanon as Israel intensified its military operations against Hezbollah.

Israel launched a ground offensive into southern Lebanon on Tuesday in what it called a limited incursion targeting Hezbollah’s “infrastructure.” Eight Israeli soldiers were killed in combat the following day.

Hong Kong’s Immigration Department said on Wednesday night that three Hongkongers had left Lebanon safely with the help of China’s embassy in the country.

The department said in a statement it would maintain close contact with China’s foreign ministry and the embassy to monitor developments.

Hong Kong on Monday raised its travel warning for Lebanon to “black” – the most serious level in a three-tier alert system – advising residents to avoid all travel to the country.

Israel has launched air strikes and other attacks against the armed group for more than two weeks, killing more than 1,200 people across Lebanon and displacing around 1.2 million, the BBC reported citing Lebanese authorities.

Israel said the offensive was carried out to ensure the safe return of residents of northern areas displaced by Hezbollah attacks, which were sparked by the war in Gaza.

The Israel-Hamas war was sparked by an attack by Palestinian militant group Hamas last October 7, in which 1,189 Israelis were killed and 252 taken hostage. Israel’s retaliatory campaign has killed at least 41,500 Palestinians, mostly women and children, to date according to Gaza’s health ministry. A study published in medical journal The Lancet in June estimated the attributable death toll could exceed 186,000.

Hezbollah is an Iran-backed Shia Islamist political and military group with considerable influence in Lebanon. It is designated as a terrorist organisation by Israel, the US, the UK and other countries.

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https://hongkongfp.com/2024/10/03/3-hongkongers-evacuated-from-lebanon-as-israeli-forces-clash-with-hezbollah/