China urges citizens to leave Israel immediately

The Chinese embassy in Israel has advised its citizens to depart "as soon as possible" amid rising tensions between Israel and Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militant group in Lebanon.

"The situation along the Israel-Lebanon border is currently very tense, marked by frequent military clashes," China's embassy in Israel said, Caliber.Az reports, citing foreign media. 

"The security situation in Israel remains critical, complicated, and unpredictable," the statement noted.

The embassy urged Chinese nationals in Israel to "return home or move to safer locations as soon as possible." 

On September 22, both Israel and Hezbollah threatened to intensify their cross-border assaults, despite international appeals for de-escalation to prevent a full-scale war. An Israeli airstrike in a heavily populated Hezbollah stronghold in southern Beirut on September 20 resulted in the death of Ibrahim Aqil, the leader of Hezbollah's elite Radwan Force. This followed a series of coordinated explosions involving communication devices on September 17-18 throughout Lebanon, which killed 39 people and injured nearly 3,000, with Israel being held responsible. Last month, China advised its citizens in Lebanon to leave after an Israeli strike in the region resulted in the death of a senior Palestinian militant.

By Naila Huseynova