G7 urges restraint; governments call for evacuations from Lebanon

The Group of Seven (G7) major democracies has called for restraint and de-escalation in the Middle East due to the threat of a wider conflict in the region.

The Group urged “all involved parties once again to refrain from perpetuating the current destructive cycle of retaliatory violence, to lower tensions and engage constructively toward de-escalation," in a statement.

"Together with our partners, we have expressed great concern over recent events that threaten to lead to the regionalization of the crisis, starting with Lebanon," said Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, whose country holds the G7 presidency this year.

Tensions in the Middle East have particularly heightened over the last few days, following the assassinations of Hamas political leader, Ismail Haniyeh, in Iran, and Hezbollah Commander Fouad Shukr in Lebanon’s capital. Israel has only claimed the latter, although it is suspected of carrying out the former assassination as well.

Iran and Hezbollah have vowed to retaliate.

Governments from across the globe have been urging their citizens in Lebanon to evacuate, including the US, UK, Japan, and Turkey. The UN has reportedly evacuated their staff’s dependents from the country.

Airlines are avoiding Iranian and Lebanese airspace, and cancelling flights to Israel and Lebanon. Lufthansa, Royal Jordanian, Transavia, and Air France have suspended flights to and from Lebanon.

“Etihad Airways is currently operating its published flight schedule to Beirut (BEY) and Tel Aviv (TLV). We are monitoring the situation minute-by-minute. Safety is always our highest priority and we would never operate a flight unless it was safe to do so,” Etihad Airways told the ARN News Centre.

We have reached out to Emirates for comment. Flights to Beirut by the carrier appear to be operating regularly, according to online logs. Fly Dubai and Turkish Airlines also continue to provide their services in Beirut. 

Demand for outgoing flights from Beirut has notably increased after governments urged their nationals to leave, causing prices to surge amid limited availability.