The US embassy in Lebanon has urged its citizens to leave Lebanon on “any ticket available”, Al Jazeera reports

In a statement, the embassy said, “We encourage those who wish to depart Lebanon to book any ticket available to them, even if that flight does not depart immediately or does not follow their first-choice route.”

“We recommend that US citizens who choose not to depart Lebanon prepare contingency plans for emergency situations and be prepared to shelter in place for an extended period of time,” the statement read.