Britain Issues Travel Advice, Says Situation in Lebanon Could 'Quickly Deteriorate'

The British Foreign Ministry issued on Thursday a travel advice, warning its nationals from heading to several areas in the country that witnessed unrest, and saying the situation could deteriorate 'quickly.”

The areas include the northern city of Tripoli, the southern city of Sidon, the eastern town of Arsal, Palestinian refugee camps across the country, Hermel, Baalbek, south of Litani river and Beirut's southern suburbs.

“Following the assassination of the chief of the Intelligence Bureau of the Internal Security Forces, Brigadier General Wissam al-Hasan, in October 2012, violent clashes took place,” the notification issued by the British government said.

The statement warned that further violence could take place “which could restrict departure options.”

It said that the British government “could have limited abilities to provide assistance with departures.”

“There is a high threat from terrorism,” the statement said.

The foreign ministry expressed concern that the “security situation could deteriorate quickly.”

The statement could be found on the following link: https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/lebanon.

The U.S. Department of State reiterated on Tuesday the travel warning advisory to Lebanon over safety and security concerns.

Tensions between Sunnis and Shiites have increased significantly because of the Syrian civil war.

Shiite back the regime of President Bashar Assad and Sunnis support the Sunni-led uprising.