Lithuania has decided to evacuate the families of its diplomats and some non-essential staff from Israel as security concerns continue to mount, Foreign Ministry Chancellor Aistė Stankevičienė confirmed on Thursday. 

"We decided today that family members and non-essential staff should now be evacuated," Stankevičienė told BNS, following a meeting of the ministry’s Emergency Situation Centre.
"Once diplomats have taken care of their families, they'll be able to carry out their functions more easily," she added.
The decision comes after a missile landed early Thursday morning near the Lithuanian Embassy in Tel Aviv.
"The ambassador has informed that neither our mission nor diplomats were affected," Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys told BNS on Thursday. "The security situation and the safety of our diplomats are very important to us and we are in constant contact with them."
According to Budrys, the missile struck within the same complex where the Lithuanian diplomatic mission is located.
The security situation in Israel deteriorated last week following an Israeli strike on Iran, which prompted a retaliatory missile attack by Tehran.
A group of Lithuanian nationals have already been evacuated from Israel amid the escalating conflict.
Updated: new information added.



LRT EnglishNewsletter
Every Friday morning.











Further reading