The Federal Government is set to evacuate Nigerians living in Lebanon amid the tension between Iran and Israel.
Investors King had reported that Iran’s Military launched 180 missiles at Israel on Tuesday, killing no fewer than eight Israelites and injuring scores of other citizens.
Responding to the tension, Nigerian government directed its citizens living in Lebanon to contact the country’s diplomatic officers and envoys in the Middle-East country for immediate evacuation.
The Special Assistant to the Nigerian President on Social Media, Dada Olusegun, through his X handle, @DOlusegun, alerted all Nigerians in Lebanon to the attacks and asked them to get in touch with the Nigerian mission for profiling and documentation and subsequent evacuation.
Similarly, the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) advised Nigerians living in Lebanon to consider moving out of the country now that commercial flights are still in operation.
Nigerians are also urged to liase with the Nigerian Embassy in Lebanon for necessary guidance regarding their safety.
This was made known via a statement by Director of Media, Public Relations and Protocols Unit, NiDCOM, Abdur-Rahman Balogun, on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Iran authorities have explained the reason for attacking Israel, saying that the barrage of missiles was in response to the killings of Iran-backed militant leaders, sending Israelis to shelters and prompting alarm across the region.
Reports have it that the Israel Defence Forces said it intercepted the 180 ballistic missiles launched by Iran at Israel on Tuesday evening.
Iranian government has threatened to launch more fierce missiles against Israel if it retaliates the Tuesday attack.
According to the Iranian mission to the United Nations in a message on its X account, “Iran’s legal, rational, and legitimate response to the terrorist acts of the Zionist regime—which involved targeting Iranian nationals and interests and infringing upon the national sovereignty of the Islamic Republic of Iran—has been duly carried out.
Nigerian government said the evacuation of its citizens is necessary following the Israeli government’s warning to residents of 24 more villages in southern Lebanon to evacuate amid increasing tensions.
It was reported that the villages fall within a United Nations buffer zone, created after the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah.