The Swedish embassy in Beirut announced on Friday evening that it “closed its doors in Lebanon and transferred its offices to Cyprus.”
“The foreign ministry has instructed its staff to leave Beirut and travel to Cyprus, and the foreign ministry is planning a temporary relocation of its embassy,” Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom told Swedish Radio.
The decision had been taken “initially for the month of August but may be extended depending on the security situation.”
“The ministry is monitoring developments closely,” he said.
According to the foreign ministry, as many as 10,000 Swedish nationals may have travelled to Lebanon this summer, defying a travel warning in place for the country since October 2023.
“I urge Swedes in Lebanon to leave the country by whichever means possible, while they still can,” he said.
The closure comes amid a rapidly deteriorating security situation in Lebanon.
This follows Tuesday evening’s Israeli strike on Beirut’s southern suburbs and the ongoing confrontations in south Lebanon between Hezbollah and Israel, intensifying since October 8, 2023.
