The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of South Korea on Tuesday called on its citizens in Lebanon and Israel to leave as soon as possible because of the escalating tensions in the Middle East, reports "Reuters", quoted by News.bg .
The travel advisories were issued after the killing of the commander of the Iran-affiliated Lebanese group "Hezbollah" and the head of the political wing of Hamas, the group that rules the Gaza Strip, said Lee Jae Wong, a ministry spokesman.
The killings followed a deadly rocket attack in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights late last month.
"The South Korean government ... hopes that diplomatic efforts to de-escalate tensions, as well as negotiations for a ceasefire and the release of hostages will not stop,'' Lee said at a briefing.
The leader of "Hamas" Ismail Haniyeh was killed in the Iranian capital Tehran last week, an attack that prompted threats of retaliation from Iran and fueled further concern that the conflict in Gaza is turning into a wider war.
Washington is urging other countries through diplomatic channels to tell Iran that escalation in the Middle East is not in their interest, a State Department spokesman said Monday.
More than 500 South Korean citizens currently reside in Israel and about 120 in Lebanon as of Tuesday, according to the ministry.