Latest U.S. Travel Warning Highlights Kidnappings, Sectarian Violence

Kidnappings, sectarian violence and tension along the Lebanese-Syrian border have led the U.S. State Department to issue a warning to U.S. citizens to avoid all travel to Lebanon.

“U.S. citizens living and working in Lebanon should understand that they accept risks in remaining and should carefully consider those risks,” said the travel advisory issued on Monday.

It supersedes a warning issued in September to emphasize information on security, kidnappings, and an upsurge in violence in Lebanon and the region.

The advisory said the potential for a spontaneous upsurge in violence remains and the Lebanese government is not able to guarantee protection for citizens or visitors to the country if violence erupts.

“Access to borders, airports, roads, and seaports can be interrupted with little or no warning” and “public demonstrations occur frequently with little warning and have the potential to become violent,” it said.

It also warned that sectarian disputes can lead to gunfire or other violence with little or no warning.

Lebanon has recently witnessed a spate of tit-for-tat sectarian abductions linked to the civil war in Syria. Gunfights mainly in the northern city of Tripoli have left dozens of casualties.

Mortars and shells from the Syrian side also regularly crash in Lebanon, causing several casualties.

The U.S. warning said “security incidents in the border regions between Lebanon and Syria … coincides with an increasing number of security incidents around the country.”

“U.S. citizens in Lebanon should monitor ongoing political and security developments in Syria, as this may impact the security situation in Lebanon,” it added.

Reiterating that Hizbullah is an extremist group that the U.S. government has designated as a terrorist organization, the warning said: “U.S. citizens have been the target of numerous terrorist attacks in Lebanon in the past, and the threat of anti-Western terrorist activity continues to exist in Lebanon.”

“U.S. citizens traveling or residing in Lebanon despite this Travel Warning should keep a low profile, assess their personal security, and vary times and routes for all required travel.”