Israel has vowed to respond with an attack to any strike carried out by Hezbollah and Iran. This comes amid calls from various Arab and foreign countries, the latest being France and Saudi Arabia, urging their citizens to leave Lebanon immediately due to fears of escalating tensions in the region, spurred by the war in Gaza and the conflict between Iran and Israel. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant stated on Sunday that Israel is very well prepared to defend itself by land and sea and is ready to swiftly shift to an offensive or retaliatory stance. "We will exact a price from the enemy as we have done in recent days. If they dare to attack, they will pay a heavy price," as reported by Al-Sharq Al-Awsat.
Gallant's remarks came ahead of the visit of U.S. Central Command chief Michael Kurilla to Israel on Monday, as preparations are made for a joint Israeli-American defense against potential attacks from Iran and Hezbollah, according to Israeli military radio.
### Departure of Nationals
The ongoing tension has prompted international concern, leading several Arab and foreign countries to urge their citizens to leave Lebanon. The Saudi embassy in Beirut stated on the X platform that it is closely monitoring developments in southern Lebanon and renewed its call for Saudi citizens to leave Lebanon immediately, adhering to the travel ban to Lebanon that has been in effect since May 2021. Since the onset of the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza in early October, and the subsequent near-daily exchanges of fire across the border between Israel and Lebanese Hezbollah, Saudi Arabia has repeatedly urged its nationals to leave Lebanon and abide by the travel ban, with the last reminder issued at the end of June.
This call from Saudi Arabia follows similar actions from France, Britain, the United States, and several Arab nations such as Jordan and Oman, all advising their nationals to depart. Meanwhile, Sweden announced the closure of its embassy in Beirut and urged its citizens to leave. France's Foreign Ministry advised its citizens residing in Lebanon, especially those traveling for leisure, to take advantage of the current availability of flights to leave. U.S. Deputy National Security Advisor Jon Finer announced on Sunday that the U.S. decided to deploy more troops in the Middle East as a preventive and defensive measure.
On the X platform, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani called on Italians currently in Lebanon to avoid traveling to southern Lebanon and to return to Italy as soon as possible on commercial flights due to the deteriorating situation. Some airlines have suspended flights to Beirut or adjusted their schedules, including Kuwait Airways, which suspended operations indefinitely. Air France stated that it and its subsidiary Transavia would extend the suspension of flights between Paris and Beirut at least until August 6, due to the rising tensions in the region.
### Ongoing Shelling
As preparations for a response continue, gunfire exchanges in southern Lebanon have persisted as part of the support battle declared by Hezbollah since October 8. Lebanese media reported that one of the enemy projectiles targeting the area between Rabb Tlassin, Adaysa, and Taybeh caused a power line to go down, alongside an electrical short circuit in the main transformer near the Taybeh project which ignited a fire, confirming that the transformer was not directly targeted by an Israeli drone.
This shelling coincided with an attack carried out by Hezbollah on four military sites, following the party's bombardment of the settlement of Beit Hillel for the first time since the war began, in retaliation for enemy assaults on the villages of Kfar Kila and Deir Sryan, despite the party previously announcing nine times about targeting military sites adjacent to the settlement.
Israeli police stated in a report that they dealt with rocket shrapnel that fell in the vicinity of Kiryat Shmona. They added that, at this stage, there were no reports of injuries, but damage to property occurred. Bomb disposal experts in the northern region worked to secure the site of the fall and look for additional remnants to eliminate any further danger, asserting that civilian discipline saves lives, according to Al-Sharq Al-Awsat.
