×

India warns citizens in Lebanon after killings of Hamas chief, top Hezbollah commander

Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh and Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr were killed on Tuesday

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators wave Palestinian flags as they take part in a rally to protest the death of the Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, following evening prayers in Fatih district of Istanbul on July 31, 2024 | AFP

The Indian embassy in Beirut has issued an advisory, warning citizens to avoid non-essential travel to Lebanon as tensions simmer in the Middle East over recent killings of Hamas chief and Hezbollah's top commander.

The embassy has also asked citizen in Lebanon to restrict their travel and to keep in touch with it via email or phone number. “All Indian nationals in Lebanon are advised to exercise caution, restrict their movements and remain in contact with Embassy of India in Beirut through their email id: cons.beirut@mea.gov.in or the emergency phone number +96176860128,” the advisory read.

ALSO READ: Who was Ismail Haniyeh? Hamas confirms its chief killed in 'Zionist raid' in Tehran

The IDF had claimed that Fuad Shukr, a top military commander of Hezbollah, was killed in an airstrike on an eight-storey apartment building in Beirut on Tuesday. Shukr had Bashar al-Assad's troops fight Syrian rebels during the civil war in the war-torn country and was wanted by the US for his alleged involvement in the 1983 Beirut barracks bombing.

ALSO READ: Who was Fuad Shukr? Israel's IDF says Hezbollah top commander killed in Beirut airstrike

Meanwhile, Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh was killed along with his bodyguard in the Iranian capital on Tuesday after Israel allegedly targeted a building. He was in Tehran to attend the inauguration ceremony of Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian.

Iran Supreme Leader Ayatollah ali Khamenei has ordered direct strike on Israel after the killings. Countries like the US, the UK and Australia have issued similar advisories to their citizens.