Thousands of Filipinos in southern Lebanon and northern Israel have been cautioned against possible escalation of hostilities between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters as fears ran high that the war waged by Israel against Hamas in Gaza would spread. 

Around 2,700 Filipinos in southern Lebanon and 70 in northern Israel could be affected if the Israeli government advances its counterattack on Lebanon-based Hezbollah, which also launched a small assault on Israel following Hamas’ deadly attack.
 

“In southern Lebanon, the embassy already informed the [around] 3,000 Filipinos there to evacuate, because of possible retaliation [from Israel] because of attacks of Hezbollah,” Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Undersecretary Eduardo Jose de Vega said in a press conference Thursday, Oct. 19.
 

Hezbollah is a Shiite Muslim political party and a militant group based in Lebanon. It has the backing of Iran, which warned Israel of possible regional escalation of tension if its attack on Gaza further elevate.
 

“In northern Israel, they already moved,” de Vega added.
 

De Vega said contingency and evacuation plans are already in place for Filipinos in both countries.
 

So far, no Filipinos have been affected in the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah fighters, which is smaller compared to the exchange of fires between Israel and Hamas.
 

De Vega said the DFA is still waiting for the recommendation of the Philippine Embassy in Beirut with regards to alert level status to be imposed for Filipinos in Lebanon; while Israel remains under Alert Level 2, which means new deployment of Filipinos are restricted.
 

“This is a regular thing. They know what to do in Israel. Sa southern Lebanon, we’re waiting for the final recommendation of our embassy in Beirut,but we’ll ensure that they are safe,” de Vega said.
 

Meanwhile, in Israel, a total of four Filipinos are confirmed dead due to Hamas’ surprise attack on Israel on Oct. 7.
 

In Gaza, most of the 135 Filipinos are already seeking repatriation—but remain trapped due to closure of borders—following Israel’s retaliation on Hamas, the territory’s de facto government, that already left some 3,000 people dead.