Rumours of a possible evacuation operation from Lebanon have given German citizens there a false sense of security, a German Foreign Ministry spokesperson said according to Al Jazeera, urging them to leave the country immediately.

“The time now has come to leave Lebanon,” the spokesperson said, calling on citizens to organise their own exit even if this means travelling via Turkey or paying high prices for flights.

A spokesperson for the defence ministry declined to give details on preparations for possible evacuations in the event of an escalation in the Middle East conflict.