Saudi Arabia and Kuwait have called on their nationals in Lebanon to stay away from areas experiencing security unrest. Riyadh has also asked Saudis who are in Lebanon to quickly leave the country. These calls come a week after clashes have erupted in the Palestinian camp of Ain el-Helwe between Fatah (led by Palestinian Authority President, Mahmoud Abbas) and Islamist groups.
In detail, the Saudi Embassy in Beirut asked its nationals “not to approach areas that are experiencing armed conflicts.” In a tweet, it also urged them to “quickly leave the Lebanese territory and respect the decision prohibiting Saudis from traveling to Lebanon.”
It also asked Saudi citizens to contact the embassy in case of emergency on the following numbers: 009611762711, 009611762722, 0096178803388, 0096176026555 and 00966920033334.
تود السفارة تحذير المواطنين الكرام من التواجد والاقتراب من المناطق التي تشهد نزاعات مسلحة، كما تطالب المواطنين بسرعة مغادرة الأراضي اللبنانية pic.twitter.com/QNeaPqnZBa
— السفارة السعودية لدى لبنان (@KSAembassyLB) August 4, 2023
For its part, the Embassy of Kuwait in Beirut called on nationals of its country “to exercise caution, to stay away from troubled areas in certain regions and to respect the instructions issued by the competent local authorities.”
It added that citizens can contact the embassy for any inquiries on the following emergency number: 0096171171441.
بيان| سفارة دولة #الكويت لدى الجمهورية اللبنانية بشأن الإضطرابات الأمنية في الجمهورية اللبنانية.
البيان كاملاً: https://t.co/KLfQKFd1M3
🇰🇼🇱🇧 pic.twitter.com/Stc8SLfG7h
— وزارة الخارجية (@MOFAKuwait) August 4, 2023
German “partial warning”
For its part, the German Foreign Ministry has updated the “partial warning” section related to traveling to Lebanon on its website. It notably indicated: “In the Palestinian refugee camp of Ain el-Helwe, located south of Saida, armed clashes have been taking place since July 30, 2023, causing several deaths. The projectiles also caused injuries and damaged buildings outside the refugee camp, for example in downtown Saida.”
The ministry called on German nationals to register on the risk prevention list, to respect the partial travel warning (which adds Palestinian camps to the list which already included regions in the Bekaa, the southern suburbs, the border with Israel and Tripoli), and to avoid gatherings.
