Charbel: Travel Advisories Don’t Imply All of Lebanon Under Threat
Interior Minister Marwan Charbel stressed on Friday that travel warnings for Lebanon issued by Western embassies are routine procedures that don’t imply a dangerous situation in the entire country.
In remarks to al-Joumhouria daily, Charbel said the warnings “don’t mean that the situation in Lebanon as a whole is under threat.”
He said that Lebanese nationals should as well abide by the precautions that the embassies are advising their citizens to take.
Several embassies have tightened travel warnings for Lebanon, advising their nationals to avoid parts of the country due to unrest in Syria and the kidnapping of Estonian tourists.
The British embassy has advised its nationals to avoid travel to Lebanon's eastern and southern borders with Syria following incursions by Syrian troops into the country.
Embassies including those of the United States, Australia, Britain, Canada and France have also warned of the risk of abduction after seven Estonians were kidnapped at gunpoint in the Bekaa Valley in March.
The U.S., Canadian and Australian embassies cite in their warnings the international Lebanon.
"U.S. citizens in Lebanon should monitor ongoing political developments, particularly in relation to the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, as Lebanese political leaders have warned publicly that the tribunal's findings could spark civil unrest," said a U.S. embassy travel advisory.
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