The United States on Tuesday shut down its embassy in Beirut, citing escalating "regional tensions" as fighting intensifies between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah terror group.
"Due to ongoing regional tensions, U.S. Embassy Beirut will be closed until further notice," the embassy announced. "All other regular and emergency consular appointments have been cancelled. We will communicate when the Embassy returns to normal operations."
The closure came as Israel pushes additional troops into southern Lebanon and orders evacuations in more than 80 villages near the border. Hezbollah has signaled it is prepared for an "open war," raising fears of a broader regional conflict.
Hezbollah launched rockets and drones into northern Israel early Monday. Israel responded with a series of airstrikes across Lebanon that reportedly killed at least 52 people, including a Palestinian militant and a Hezbollah intelligence official in Beirut's southern suburbs.
More than 150 people were wounded, and tens of thousands have been displaced, according to local reports.
Fighting continued into Tuesday. Hezbollah claimed it fired two additional salvos of rockets toward northern Israel, while Israeli airstrikes overnight struck a building housing Hezbollah's television and radio operations.
Strikes also hit Beirut's southern suburbs, with the Israeli military later saying it targeted Hezbollah officials.
The unrest has spread beyond Lebanon. The U.S. also temporarily closed its embassies in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait after Iran escalated retaliatory attacks across the Gulf, targeting American diplomatic and military facilities.
In Riyadh, two drones struck near the U.S. Embassy compound, sparking a small fire and causing minor damage, Saudi officials said. Authorities later reported intercepting and destroying eight additional drones near Riyadh and Al-Kharj. The embassy urged Americans to avoid the area as a precaution.
The developments underscore mounting instability across the Middle East as tensions between Israel and Iran-backed forces continue to rise.
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