"An Air Force A321 aircraft flew to Beirut today to support the departure of the colleagues and their families," said a joint statement by the foreign and defence ministries.

"German nationals who are particularly at risk due to medical circumstances are also being taken on the Bundeswehr aircraft," said the statement, which added that staff of some German partner organisations were also being picked up.

Israel has been bombing targets of the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah in Beirut and eastern and southern Lebanon, in strikes that have killed hundreds and forced hundreds of thousands more to flee their homes.

The Beirut embassy remained operational to help the estimated 1,800 German citizens in the country, and only non-essential embassy staff and their families were being taken out of the country.

"The embassy continues to support the remaining Germans in Lebanon in their departure via commercial flights and other means," the statement added.

At the weekend, Berlin raised its alert level for the missions in Beirut, Tel Aviv and Ramallah in the occupied West Bank.

A German government spokesman earlier on Monday said that "we are currently at a stage where we support the departure (of citizens) but we are explicitly not in an evacuation scenario."

The statement reiterated that "all Germans in Lebanon have been urged to leave the country since October 2023."

Hezbollah began low-intensity cross-border strikes on Israeli troops a day after its Palestinian ally Hamas staged its unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7, triggering war in the Gaza Strip.

Israel said earlier this month that it was shifting its focus from Gaza to securing its northern border with Lebanon, in order to allow Israelis displaced since October to return to their homes.

Hezbollah vowed on Monday to keep fighting Israel and said it was ready to face any ground operation into Lebanon, after its leader was killed in an air strike that dealt the group a seismic blow.