DFA: No Pinoy affected in Lebanon airstrikes

NO Filipino in Lebanon was affected by the massive airstrikes conducted by Israel on the country targeting positions of the Iran-allied Hezbollah militant group early yesterday morning, the Department of Foreign Affairs said.

Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Eduardo Jose de Vega said this is the information the DFA received from the Philippine Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon’s capital city, hours after Israel launched what it described as preemptive attacks on Hezbollah positions.

Earlier, De Vega said contingency plans are in place for Filipinos in Lebanon if war breaks out between Israel and Hezbollah.

He said the embassy is coordinating with the Filipino community as well as local Lebanese authorities to ensure the safety of the Filipinos there.

There are around 11, 000 Filipinos living and working in Lebanon, though De Vega said most are in areas far away from the Israel-Lebanon border where most of the clashes are reported.

The embassy previously “strongly urged” Filipinos in Lebanon to leave the country, amid fears of a war between the Jewish state and Hezbollah and Iran.

Other countries have also urged their citizens to leave the country since tensions have soared in recent days after a July 27 strike blamed on Hezbollah that killed 12 children in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

Hezbollah denied any responsibility for the rocket strike.

Israel subsequently retaliated by killing Hezbollah’s top military leader Fuad Shukr in an airstrike in Beirut.

Tension rose further after Hamas top political leader Ismael Haniyeh was also assassinated in Tehran, Iran in an attack widely blamed on Israel.

Iran and Hezbollah have vowed revenge for the killings, heightening fears of a widening Middle East conflict.

Meanwhile, the Philippine Embassy in Israel advised Filipinos in the country to follow guidelines set under the “yellow alert” issued by Israel’s Home Front Command after Hezbollah launched over 300 missiles, rockets and armed unmanned aerial vehicles on the country.

The embassy said under the yellow alert from Sunday morning to Monday evening, August 26, are the following areas North Golan and South Golan area, Confrontation Line, Upper Galilee, Lower Galilee,