Western nations issue travel advisories for Lebanon amid tensions

UK, Germany and France and the US issued travel advisories to their citizens, urging them to leave Lebanon or avoid traveling to the country amid diplomatic fever pitch to prevent an Israeli strike on Beirut after the deadly rocket attack on the Golan Heights.

Also in light of the developments in the region, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Cyprus reminds Cypriot citizens that the travel guidelines remain in force for:

Lebanon, dated 29 October 2023 stating avoidance of all travel, and for Israel and Palestine (West Bank and Gaza), dated 08 October 2023 stating avoidance of all non-essential travel to Israel, and all travel to Gaza and all non-essential travel to the Nablus and Jenin areas of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday that there would be a “severe” retaliation for the attack that killed 12 children in the occupied and annexed part of the Golan Heights while, in the background, efforts are being made to prevent further escalation of the conflict between Israel and the Lebanese Hezbollah.

“No one wants a wider war, and I am confident that we will be able to avoid such an outcome,” said John Kirby, the US National Security Council’s Strategic Communications Coordinator.

In particular, the British Foreign Secretary, David Lammy, recently announced strict travel instructions, calling on British citizens to leave Lebanon and avoid traveling to the country. Lammy stressed the need for immediate mobilization due to the volatile situation, warning that events in the region could escalate and seriously disrupt trade routes. The Foreign Office has warned that they should not rely on the ability of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) to provide assistance in an emergency​​.

The warnings come in response to rising tension in the region as Israel considers the possibility of striking targets deeper inside Lebanese soil, including facilities in Beirut, according to Israel Institute for National Security Studies analyst Danny Citrinowicz. Iran’s new president, Masoud Pezeskiyan, who supports Hezbollah, warned Israel that any attack on Lebanon would be a “big mistake with grave consequences”.

The situation is particularly tense as Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib said the diplomatic activity is aimed at containing the expected Israeli response. However, he warned that an attack was imminent, with the assessment that Israel would escalate its actions in a limited way and that Hezbollah would respond accordingly.

UK travel advice also states that British nationals should be prepared to leave the country quickly or remain safely in their place of residence if the situation suddenly worsens. The economic crisis and power outages make life in Lebanon even more difficult, with payments mostly made in US dollars, which are hard to come by locally.​​

The situation in the Middle East remains extremely volatile, and travelers should exercise extreme caution and monitor travel advisories for updates.

The article Western nations issue travel advisories for Lebanon amid tensions first appeared in TravelDailyNews International.