South Korea tells citizens to leave Lebanon amid Mideast conflict

South Korea on Wednesday urged its citizens to leave Lebanon amid the ongoing Israeli bombardment of the Middle Eastern nation.

The Foreign Ministry "strongly advised" South Korean nationals in Lebanon to "leave the Middle Eastern country aboard available flights, as the security situation is worsening with Israel ramping up ground attacks in the southern region."

There are some 120 South Korean nationals in Lebanon, according to the Seoul-based Yonhap News.

Earlier, South Korea imposed a travel ban on the southern parts of Lebanon bordering Israel.

The ongoing Israeli bombardment of Lebanon came after Israel and the US initiated a large-scale military campaign against Iran on Feb. 28, which is still ongoing.

The Lebanese group Hezbollah began striking Israeli military sites on March 2 in response to the killing of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in a joint US-Israeli airstrike on Feb. 28, as well as continued Israeli attacks despite a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon that took effect in November 2024.

Israel escalated its attacks the same day with airstrikes on Beirut's southern suburbs and southern and eastern Lebanon.

It also launched a limited ground incursion into southern Lebanon on March 3.