Jul 28. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Norway’s Foreign Ministry has urged its citizens to leave Lebanon in the face of an escalating conflict between Israel and Hezbollah militants following the deaths of 12 Israeli Druze civilians in Majdal Shams in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights on Saturday.
The ministry has therefore sent a message to Norwegian citizens in Lebanon advising them to leave the country. “If the situation worsens, the Norwegian authorities will have very few options to help Norwegian citizens leave Lebanon,” it warned, according to Norwegian public television NRK.
As for the Norwegians in Israel, they have received a message from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reminding them that the situation is serious and could escalate.
“I am deeply concerned about what is happening in the region. An escalation of the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah could mark a turning point in the conflict,” Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth said in a statement.
Barth condemned the rocket attack in Majdal Shams. “All parties should do everything possible to protect civilians in accordance with their obligations under international law,” he stressed.
The Norwegian foreign minister also called for “restraint” on the part of the parties directly or indirectly involved. “An escalation of retaliatory attacks could have consequences throughout the Middle East,” he warned.
In this regard, he has called for an “immediate ceasefire” in the Gaza Strip to “help reduce the level of tension in the entire region.” “It is important that this be done through diplomatic means,” he appealed.
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