Foreign Ministry issues warning for Czechs in Lebanon and Syria

In light of the escalating conflict between Israeli forces and Hezbollah, the Czech Foreign Ministry is warning people against traveling to southwest Syria. During the weekend the ministry called on Czechs to leave Lebanon as soon as possible, and that call has now been extended to southern Syria.

The first group of Czechs returned to Prague on Sunday, and another 100 or so Czechs and Slovaks are expected to arrive in Prague late on Monday, directly from Syria. Of the 200 estimated Czechs in Lebanon, some 150 are permanent residents of the country. The ministry recommends that all Czech citizens who want to leave the country, contact the Czech Embassy in Beirut as soon as possible as the security situation is worsening and convoy evacuations may soon no longer be possible.

The six-day conflict between Israel and Lebanon has already killed over 160 people, mostly civilians.