Despite the escalating crisis in the Middle East, some people appear to be disregarding “do not travel” to Lebanon warnings.

The Foreign Office issued a stark warning to UK travellers earlier this week, urging them to leave Lebanon and not rely on the government for evacuation.

A statement from the Foreign Office said it “advises against all travel to Lebanon due to risks associated with the ongoing conflict between Israel, Lebanese Hezbollah and other non-state actors in Lebanon”.

It added: “The British embassy may be increasingly limited in the assistance that it can provide. If you are currently in Lebanon, we encourage you to leave.”

Similar advice has been issued by other European countries including Germany and the Netherlands, as well as the US. But despite these warnings, discussions on Reddit reveal some individuals are considering ignoring this advice. One German user revealed she was planning to fly out today (August 2) and asked others whether she is “stupid” for doing so.

She wrote: “I do not have another passport, just the Lebanese, and I’m planning to come literally tomorrow. I’m between scared and not. I’m not scared if there is a war, tbh [to be honest] I’d rather be with my family than in Germany when this is going down – but I am scared about the airport being bombed.”

A British resident contemplating a journey to Lebanon also shared their apprehension, penning in response: “I’m supposed to be going 22nd August, I haven’t booked yet, waiting for the ball to drop. I’m gonna be in Turkey on holiday so it wouldn’t be expensive to book to Lebanon from there. If I do go and s**t hits the fan my exit strategy is to take a road trip with dad to Amman and fly out from there back to the UK. You should have an exit strategy too.”

Other travellers went on to admit they were still determined to proceed with their plans unless official cancellations occur. One stated: “My flight is 8/8 through Royal Jordanian. If it doesn’t get cancelled I’m still planning on going. Not sure if that’s the right call ofc [of course] but it is what it is.”

And a second detailed their upcoming departure from France, adding: “My flight from France is tomorrow. I was supposed to be there with my kids in July but I cancelled that, and I decided to come alone for a bit. My reasoning is if you keep clear from sensitive areas, then the worst that could happen is to get stranded there for a while, or to go through a chaotic evacuation to Cyprus, in which case we will see.”

Thankfully, some sensibly warned against travelling. One wrote: “If you only have a Lebanese passport, no one will evacuate you. If you end up getting stranded, you better have a job that’s chill with you not showing up to work for a month… or a few months.”