The evacuation was carried out amid the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah, which is based in the country.

“We will provide more information on the status of the remaining 16 Malaysians in Lebanon in the days ahead,” the foreign ministry said in a statement.

On Tuesday, Wisma Putra said nine Malaysians had voluntarily left Lebanon, and that the embassy in Beirut remained operational until further notice.

Israel’s military started ground raids in villages in southern Lebanon on Monday after Hezbollah said it had targeted enemy soldiers at the countries’ border.

This comes after an Israeli airstrike on Beirut killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah last Friday.

Reuters reported that Israel’s military told residents of more than 20 towns in south Lebanon to evacuate their homes immediately yesterday as it pressed on with its cross-border incursion and struck Hezbollah targets in a suburb of Beirut.