The U.S. Embassy in Beirut urged its citizens on Saturday to leave Lebanon "immediately" amid ongoing Israeli bombardment of the city.
In a statement on its website, the embassy said it is closely monitoring the situation in the southern suburbs of Beirut and noted that the U.S. State Department has advised against travel to Lebanon and recommended departing as soon as possible since commercial flight options remain available.
The embassy also advised American citizens who choose not to leave to prepare emergency plans and be ready to stay where they are if the situation worsens. It specifically urged Americans in southern Lebanon, near the Syrian border, and in refugee gatherings to leave those areas immediately.
Israeli forces launched heavy airstrikes on various locations in the southern suburbs of Beirut in the early hours of Saturday morning.
Videos showed large fires and thick columns of smoke continuing into the dawn in the bombarded areas. At the beginning of the latest attack, the Israeli military announced it was "currently bombing buildings in the southern suburbs of Beirut, where Hezbollah is storing anti-ship missiles."
Hundreds of Lebanese families urgently fled the southern suburbs of Beirut late Friday into Saturday night as successive Israeli airstrikes targeted Hezbollah's stronghold and warnings were issued for evacuating several areas.
These airstrikes followed intense strikes that targeted Hezbollah's "central headquarters" on Friday afternoon, raising concerns about the fate of the group's leader, Hassan Nasrallah, after reports from Israeli media suggested he was under threat.