Due to fears of a wider war between Hezbollah and Israel, several airlines have suspended or cancelled some of their flights to and from Beirut. At the same time, the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and the American, German and Italian Chancelleries have advised their nationals in Lebanon to “avoid or exercise caution” in following security measures.
Video message from the US Embassy in Lebanon
A reminder to U.S. citizens in Lebanon to enroll in STEP and other preparedness recommendations to keep you and your loved ones safe. A message from Assistant Secretary for Consular Affairs Rena Bitter.@TravelGov pic.twitter.com/OZNugd0bCc
— U.S. Embassy Beirut (@usembassybeirut) July 29, 2024
US Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs Rena Bitter reminded US citizens in Lebanon “of the need to enroll in the STEP program, given the rapidly evolving security situation in Lebanon”.
In a video shared on Monday on the X account of the American Embassy in Beirut, the diplomat informed them of the steps to follow in the event of an emergency on Lebanese territory, inviting them to “follow the latest information on the embassy’s website.”
Bitter described the situation in Lebanon as “complicated,” while stressing “the need to keep an American passport valid for six months and to follow travel information and instructions.”
She also stressed that “in the event of airport access being disrupted in an emergency, US citizens should go to the nearest shelter and prepare to secure necessary raw materials for a potentially long period of time.”
In addition, the American Embassy has asked its citizens “not to encourage their loved ones to travel to Lebanon this summer, as security conditions are unstable and could deteriorate rapidly.”
For his part, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani called on “his country’s citizens to leave Lebanon.”
A spokesman for the German Foreign Ministry sounded a similar note, advising his country’s citizens to leave Lebanon “as a matter of urgency.”
Saudi Arabia and France
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia reiterated “its request to its citizens to respect its decision forbidding them to travel to Lebanon.”
For its part, the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs reiterated in a statement on Sunday that “it remains imperatively recommended to French nationals not to travel to Lebanon, Israel or the Palestinian territories.”
These measures were taken by airlines after Saturday afternoon’s rocket attack on the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, which killed 12 Druze. This rekindled fears of a wider war between Israel and Hezbollah.
As a reminder, Israel blamed the strike on Hezbollah, which continues to deny any involvement.
