The U.S. State Department urged U.S. citizens to avoid all travel to Lebanon due to current safety and security concerns and warned from civil unrest over the indictment issued by the Special Tribunal for Lebanon.
“U.S. citizens living and working in Lebanon should understand that they accept risks in remaining and should carefully consider those risks,” the Department said in an updated travel warning issued on Wednesday..
“The potential in Lebanon for a spontaneous upsurge in violence remains,” it said, adding that “Lebanese government authorities are not able to guarantee protection for citizens or visitors to the country should violence erupt suddenly.”
It warned that sporadic violence involving Hizbullah or other armed groups remains a possibility in many areas of Lebanon.
Recounting the kidnapping of seven Estonian tourists in March and their ultimate release in July, the travel warning said: “Although the U.S. government places the highest priority on the safe recovery of kidnapped U.S. citizens, it is U.S. policy not to pay ransom.”
“U.S. citizens in Lebanon should monitor ongoing political developments, particularly in relation to the STL, as Lebanese political leaders have warned publicly that the tribunal's findings could spark civil unrest,” the Department said.
In June, the STL issued indictments against four Hizbullah members in ex-Premier Rafik Hariri’s Feb. 2005 assassination.
The Department also warned that skirmishes between the Lebanese and Israeli armies as well as protesters and civilians along Lebanon's border with Israel may occur with no warning.
It said several demonstrators were killed and several others, including a U.S. citizen, were severely wounded near the southern border town of Maroun al-Ras after Israel opened fire on them in May.
The previous travel warning for Lebanon was issued in April 4 this year.
U.S. regulation requires that travel warnings be reviewed continually and updated at least every six months to ensure that the most current safety and security information is shared with the American public.
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