MANILA — Ten overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) from Lebanon arrived safely in the Philippines on Maundy Thursday, the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) said, as tensions continue to rise due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

The DMW said one of the returnees was a domestic worker who had been employed in Lebanon for only 11 months before deciding to leave amid security concerns.

“Iniwan ako ng amo ko na pumunta sa France. Dahil nag-iisa ako, takot na takot ako, kaya tumawag ako sa embassy at agad naman akong pinapunta sa Migrant Workers Office. Nagpaalam ako sa amo ko at pumayag naman sila kaagad,” the said OFW, as quoted by the agency.

The repatriation came as hostilities between the United States and Iran continue to escalate, with Donald Trump saying the war’s “core strategic objectives are nearing completion,” while warning of further military action.

“We are going to hit them (Iran), extremely hard, over the next two to three weeks,” Trump said.

In his first national address since the conflict began on February 28, Trump also assured US allies in the region, including Israel, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and Bahrain, that the United States would continue its support.

He added that Washington is open to potential negotiations with Iran’s new leadership, which he described as “less radical and much more reasonable,” but warned that failure to reach an agreement could lead to attacks on key infrastructure, including electric generating plants.

The conflict has disrupted global oil supply, particularly in the Strait of Hormuz, a critical route for about one-fifth of the world’s oil shipments. The situation has led to a surge in oil prices and heightened economic uncertainty worldwide.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards earlier vowed to keep the waterway closed to what it described as its “enemies.”

In Lebanon, violence has intensified, with at least seven people reported killed in airstrikes in southern Beirut. The Israeli military said the strikes targeted a senior Hezbollah commander.

Lebanon’s health ministry reported that more than 1,300 people have been killed in Israeli attacks in the country since clashes between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah escalated on March 2.