88gasia|Filipinos advised to leave Lebanon immediately over war fear

MANILA88gasia, Aug88gasia. 17 (Xinhua) -- Filipinos staying in Lebanon have been advised to leave the Middle East country as early as possible as tension escalates due to the threat of an all-out war between the Iran-backed group Hezbollah and Israel.

In a social media advisory Friday night, the Philippine Embassy in Lebanon urged Filipinos to leave when the airport remains operational.

"We advise all Filipino nationals to prioritize their safety and depart the country as soon as possible," the advisory read.

To Filipinos who cannot leave Lebanon, the Embassy "strongly recommended" that they evacuate to safer areas outside capital Beirut, south of Lebanon, and the Bekaa Valley.

There are approximately 17,500 Filipinos staying in Lebanon, and around 3,000 are in southern Lebanon.

In early October last year, tensions along the Lebanon-Israel border spiked in the wake of Hamas' attack on Israel from Gaza and Israel's subsequent military campaign.

The heightening tension on southern Lebanon's border forced the Philippines to raise the alert level to 3 on a scale of 4 and urge its citizens to leave.

In July this year, the Philippines' Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) renewed its appeal for Filipinos to avail of the government's voluntary repatriation program as tensions in Lebanon continue to escalate.

However, the DFA said that only about 300 Filipinos have been repatriated since the Philippine government raised the alert level to 3.

Alert level 3 or voluntary repatriation is issued "when violent disturbances or external aggression occur in a limited area."■