Sweden is closing its Beirut embassy and evacuating its staff, as concerns grow that the bombardment in Gaza could spiral into a regional conflict, Al Jazeera reports.

Sweden’s FM Tobias Billstrom announced the move in comments to Swedish Radio, saying embassy staff had been told to leave Beirut for Cyprus and that the ministry was planning to temporarily relocate its diplomatic mission.

The decision had been taken “initially for the month of August but may be extended depending on the security situation”, said Billstrom.