Americans in Lebanon urged to leave as Middle East braces for potentially decisive week of Gaza war

Middle Eastern countries are bracing for a potential escalation of war between Israel and Hamas amid Iran’s threats of revenge for the killing of a Hamas political leader in Tehran last week.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has vowed to retaliate against Israel for the killing of Hamas political bureau chief Ismael Haniyeh in Tehran on Wednesday. The country’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps warned that “bloody revenge” for the killing was “certain.”

Both Tehran and Hamas blame Israel for the killing, but Israel has neither confirmed nor denied its involvement.

Hundreds of Lebanese were preparing to flee the country as nations urged their citizens to leave Lebanon. The U.S. Embassy in Beirut on Saturday encouraged citizens who wanted to leave to “book any ticket” as several airlines suspended or canceled flights to the country. In Israel, the government assessed its preparedness and options in the event of an attack by Iran and its regional proxies, while citizens stockpiled supplies in anticipation of an attack by Iran.

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This week’s events could define the course of the war in Gaza and significantly divert attention from the besieged enclave if Iran’s retaliation escalates into a broader regional conflict involving the United States and others. Such an escalation could also jeopardize efforts to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza and free hostages, despite recent progress in negotiations.

Iran and Israel exchanged direct fire for the first time in April after a decades-long covert war in which both sides avoided attacking each other’s territory. Iran fired 300 missiles at Israel on April 13, accusing it of attacking a diplomatic compound in Syria earlier that month. Israel responded with a limited strike on Iran. While the unprecedented exchange of fire was halted then, another round of fighting may be harder to prevent from escalating.

The United States has increased its readiness to defend Israel in the event of another attack by Iran. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin discussed comprehensive security strategies to protect Israel, according to a statement Monday. The discussions included detailed scenarios describing both defensive and offensive capabilities. And Michael Kurilla, commander of U.S. Central Command, is in the Middle East, according to a U.S. defense official, who declined to say which country Kurilla is in or what other countries he will visit.

In the latest attempt at diplomacy, countries in the region have turned to Iran to try to calm tensions. Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi flew to Tehran on Sunday, a rare trip for a senior official from the U.S.-allied monarchy. Separately, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatti called acting Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Kani to discuss the “unprecedented and very dangerous” regional escalation, according to the Egyptian Foreign Ministry.

“Serious mistake”

But Iranian officials are not backing down. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian told Safadi that Haniyeh’s killing was “a grave mistake by the Zionist regime (of Israel) that will not go unanswered,” according to Iranian state television. At a weekly news conference in Tehran, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani said Monday that the country was determined to deter Israel and that “no one should doubt” its determination to do so.

Israel could also face an attack from the northern front. Israel assassinated Fuad Shukr, a senior Hezbollah commander, last week in response to the killing of 12 children with a rocket in the town of Majdal Shams in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said Shukr’s killing “crossed red lines” and would face an “inevitable” response, suggesting cooperation with other regional groups.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Iran “and its supporters” on Sunday that his country was determined to “confront them on every front and in every arena – far and near.”

RELATED: Hezbollah confirms top commander killed in Israeli attack in Beirut, after Hamas leader also killed

“Anyone who hurts us will pay a very high price,” Netanyahu said in a speech in Jerusalem, reiterating his claim that increasing military pressure on Hamas was the only way to achieve the goals of the war in Gaza and bring the hostages home.

Israel and Hamas blame each other for the lack of agreement.

Anti-government demonstrations were held in several Israeli cities on Saturday, with participants demanding an agreement that would ensure the release of all hostages held in the Gaza Strip despite regional security threats.

Speaking at a weekly cabinet meeting on Sunday, Netanyahu said he had ordered an Israeli delegation to travel to Cairo on Saturday to continue negotiations on a ceasefire and an exchange of hostages for Palestinian prisoners.

He said Israel had made a “steadfast commitment” to release all hostages, adding that it was “ready to do much” to achieve the release of all hostages while maintaining Israel’s security.

Israel was considering options to prepare for a regional attack over the weekend. The government “is considering possible actions that would entail a price in the event of an attack on Israel by Iran and its proxies,” the Israeli defense ministry said in a statement on Sunday.

Gallant said Israel is “very well prepared to defend itself – on land and in the air – and that it is ready to quickly attack or react,” emphasizing the importance of being ready to quickly switch from defense to offense.

On Thursday, IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari said that while the country has “very good defense systems” and international partners that have strengthened their deployment in the region, Israel’s defense “is not hermetically sealed.”

In Beirut everything goes on as usual

Meanwhile, residents of Israel and Lebanon are bracing for a wider conflict. Major airlines have suspended flights to both countries, leaving some Israeli travelers stranded abroad, while residents of Lebanon have struggled to get on flights out of the country.

The U.S. Embassy in Beirut said some flight options out of the country were still available, although several airlines suspended or canceled flights and other tickets were sold out.

During the summer months, Lebanon is usually full of foreign tourists, mostly from the Lebanese diaspora, giving the country a much-needed economic boost. Many such travelers consider cutting their vacations short and flying home on the first flight.

But even with the threat of war looming over the country, many are carrying on as normal. Along Beirut’s coast on Sunday, Arabic pop music blared from loudspeakers as groups of men, beers in hand, sunbathed. Behind them, younger men practiced their diving skills in the Mediterranean, while children floated in dinghies in the rocky sea.

Samer Othman, 51, said he did not think the region was on the brink of an expanded war. “If we had a war, it would have happened 10 months ago,” he said, referring to October, when Hezbollah launched cross-border attacks on Israel after Israel launched a devastating assault on Gaza following an Oct. 7 Hamas attack that killed 1,200 people and took more than 250 hostages.

Walking shirtless along the promenade with his elderly father, Othman said a lifetime of war had strengthened him and his countrymen. “The country is used to troubles and upheavals. We can’t live in fear. Fear can only prevent you from living, but it won’t prevent you from dying.”

Others, however, were more upset about the situation. The family was posing for photos by the rooftop pool of a luxury Beirut hotel when two sonic booms sent them running for cover. They returned to the pool without the children after it turned out there had been no air raid. Israeli jets violating Lebanese airspace often break the sound barrier.

The country prepares for war in its own way and tends to recover from itself. Hours after Hezbollah supporters held a funeral procession for Hezbollah commander Shukr, the Beirut skyline lit up with colorful fireworks that coincided with a concert on the other side of the city.

Thousands marched to Beirut’s port on Sunday to mark four years since an explosion ripped through the city, killing more than 200 people. To this day, no one has been held accountable. And with war on the horizon, many say they have no confidence in their leaders or choice about what happens next.

“This is not leadership. This is a ship of existence (sic). This is a situation that we have to live with, unfortunately,” said Liz Nicholas, 31, as she lowered a sign she held at the march. “They don’t represent me. I don’t consider them my government or my leadership. They just exist. And for some reason we have to accept that or live outside the country like most of us do.”

Israelis stock up on basic necessities

In Israel, supermarkets reported an increase in purchases of basic goods on Friday. The Victory supermarket chain told CNN that sales of some items were up 30% compared to regular sales, adding that people were buying canned food, cereal, pasta, toilet paper, frozen meat, bottled water and tissues.

Jerusalem’s municipal government last week issued instructions on what to do in the event of an attack on the city, circulating a file with a list of parking lots that will be used as shelters and a list of bomb shelters. It said residents must be able to reach the shelters within 90 seconds. “Residents are advised to clean and prepare their bomb shelters in advance,” the file said.

Residents were advised to stock up on water and food for three days, as well as buy batteries, flashlights and medicines.

Several Israeli agencies and services have stepped up their preparedness. The Magen David Adom emergency services said it was prepared for any scenario after a three-day exercise “to prepare for a potential war in the north and blackout scenarios.” The exercise included dealing with casualties, and “teams practiced a ‘blackout scenario,’ focusing on the use of satellite communications tools.”

Despite the preparations, many Israelis continue their daily activities.

On Monday, in Dizengoff Circus Square in Tel Aviv, 75-year-old Rony Beer was walking with his friend, 73-year-old Ivana Reiser.

“They can attack us at any moment,” Be’er said. Asked what they were doing to prepare for a potential attack, he said: “We’re not doing anything. We’re just walking around.”

Baer and Reiser say that, like many Israelis, they have ready-made shelters at home, used in other conflicts. Many Israeli apartment buildings have built-in “safe rooms,” reinforced with two-foot-thick concrete and heavy steel doors.

All Israeli buildings built after 1993 are required to have bomb shelters. Cinemas, libraries and shopping malls are also equipped with bomb shelters. Some remain closed but open automatically when sirens sound.

Drama students Roy Dror, 23, and Ron Heckmann, 26, say they don’t do much to prepare for an attack, but they know exactly where the shelters are in case the sirens go off.

Dror was supposed to fly to London on Tuesday, but the flight was canceled. “So I guess we are a little scared,” he told CNN. “In a way, we are very scared, but life in Tel Aviv and Israel (is) quite normal.”

Heckmann, who grew up in the northern Israeli city of Nahariyah on the border with Lebanon, said he and his family “have been through a lot of bombing.” Compared to the north, he said, Tel Aviv seems safe.