In a statement, Wisma Putra said the Malaysian embassy in Beirut had been in contact with Malaysians in Lebanon.

“Based on the embassy’s records, there are 23 Malaysians registered with the embassy. All have been reported to be safe,” it said.

Wisma Putra also advised all Malaysians living in Lebanon to remain vigilant and give utmost attention to their safety and security.

“They may also consider moving out to safer places or voluntarily return to Malaysia if they feel their safety and security are at risk.”

The ministry advised Malaysians to defer travelling to Lebanon due to the volatile situation in the country.

Earlier, AFP reported that the Israeli military told people in Lebanon to move away from Hezbollah targets and vowed to carry out more “extensive and precise” strikes against the Iran-backed group.

Reuters also reported that residents of southern Lebanon received calls from a Lebanese number ordering them to immediately stay at least 1km away from any post used by Hezbollah.

Israel and Hezbollah threatened on Sunday to escalate their cross-border attacks despite international calls for both sides to step back from the brink of an all-out war.

On Friday, an Israeli air strike on a densely populated Hezbollah stronghold in southern Beirut killed the head of Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Force, Ibrahim Aqil.

It came after a series of coordinated blasts of communications devices on Tuesday and Wednesday across Lebanon killed 39 people and wounded almost 3,000. These were blamed on Israel.