U.S. State Department Urges Americans To Leave Lebanon, Not Travel There, Amid War
The U.S. Department of State is warning Americans not to visit Lebanon and directing any Americans already there to promptly leave amid the intensifying Israel-Hamas war.
“The Department of State urges U.S. citizens in Lebanon to make plans to depart as soon as possible while commercial options are still available. We recommend that U.S. citizens who choose not to depart prepare contingency plans for emergency situations,” the U.S. Embassy in Lebanon said in a security alert Thursday.
U.S. citizens in Lebanon needing emergency assistance can contact the Department of State using a crisis intake form provided on the agency’s website. Family members of U.S. citizens in Lebanon can also submit a form on their behalf.
🚨 We have updated our Travel Advisory for Lebanon to Level 4: Do Not Travel.
We urge U.S. citizens not to travel to Lebanon. We recommend that U.S. citizens in Lebanon make appropriate arrangements to leave the country; commercial options currently remain available. We…— U.S. Embassy Beirut (@usembassybeirut) October 18, 2023
On Oct. 7, Hamas — a militant group located in Gaza — launched a massive attack on Israel. Israel retaliated and launched airstrikes at the blockaded territory in what is now the deadliest of the five Gaza warson both sides, with hundreds of thousands displaced, thousands killed and injured, and dozens held captive.
The Lebanon-Israeli border has experienced acts of violence amid the ongoing war, including back-and-forth shellings between Israeli soldiers and Lebanon’s Hezbollah fighters, a group that has threatened to enter the war.
The department raised travel to Lebanon to a “Level 4: Do Not Travel” due to “the unpredictable security situation related to rocket, missile, and artillery exchanges between Israel and [Hezbollah] or other armed militant factions,” according to an earlier travel advisory released Tuesday by the State Department.
“Terrorist groups continue plotting possible attacks in Lebanon. Terrorists may conduct attacks with little or no warning targeting tourist locations, transportation hubs, markets/shopping malls, and local government facilities,” the advisory wrote.
“The Lebanese government cannot guarantee the protection of U.S. citizens against sudden outbreaks of violence. Family, neighborhood, or sectarian disputes can escalate quickly and can lead to gunfire or other violence with no warning.”
Protests have also erupted in Lebanon, as well as in neighboring Mideast countries, following a strike on a Gaza hospital that killed thousands of people, and have resulted in clashes between protestors and security forces.
The travel advisory included a list of steps Americans should consider if they decide to travel to Lebanon, including avoiding demonstrations and crowds, monitoring local media for updates and reviewing Lebanon’s security report.
Thousands of Americans were stuck in Israel after flights were abruptly halted on Oct. 7 when Hamas first attacked. As of Tuesday, over 6,000 U.S. citizens have successfully left Israel and the West Bank, the State Department told The Washington Post.
The Department authorized voluntary and temporary departure on Tuesday from U.S. Embassy Beirut for family members of the U.S. government personnel, as well as some non-emergency personnel, because of unpredictable security in Lebanon, according to the advisory.
The Lebanon travel advisory follows a week after the Department also raised its advisory to Israel and the West Bank to a “Level 3: Reconsider Travel.” The Lebanon borders of Israel and Syria, as well as refugee settlements have also been listed in the Department’s travel advisory as a “Level 4: Do Not Travel.”
