More and more people are warning of a major regional war in the Middle East after the dramatic events of the last few days.
Despite that, thousands of Swedes are still in Lebanon.
“Leave the country now!” says Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson.
In recent days, the situation in the Middle East has escalated further, following Israel’s attack on a Hezbollah commander in Beirut and the killing of Hamas’ top leader Ismail Haniya in the Iranian capital, Tehran.
A total of between 8,000-10,000 Swedes are estimated to be in Lebanon, despite the fact that the Foreign Ministry for a long time advised Swedes against traveling there and urged all Swedes to leave the country.
Now Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson (M) emphasizes that call.
“If you travel to Lebanon despite the Foreign Ministry’s clear advice, you cannot expect to receive help from Sweden in an emergency situation. So: leave the country now!”, writes the prime minister in a written comment to TV4 Nyheterna.
Billström: Risks escalation
Foreign Minister Tobias Billström (M) also directs a sharp call to Swedes to leave. The situation in the Middle East is “extremely worrying”, he says.
“With the events of the last 24 hours, the conflict in the region risks escalating,” writes Tobias Billström to the news agency TT.
Even the former foreign minister Carl Bildt reacts to the fact that so many Swedes are in Lebanon, given the events of the last few days.
– It shows that they should have already left and should leave when there is a chance to get out of the country, he says to the TT news agency.
“Not just about care”
TT has spoken to international law expert Pål Wrange, who emphasizes that Swedes cannot count on help with evacuation from the Swedish state if they want to leave the country. They may be entitled to a loan that needs to be repaid.
That the government goes out and repeatedly urges Swedes to go home is not just about caring.
– It is costly and difficult to get people home from war and crisis situations. It is not exactly risk-free to land at Beirut airport during an ongoing war, says Pål Wrange to TT.