Jbeil old town, May 7, 2022. (Credit: Layal Dagher)
BEIRUT — In the wake of travel advisories from Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates Sunday called on their nationals to avoid travel to Lebanon, and for those in country to leave. Qatar and the Sultanate of Oman, meanwhile, urged nationals currently in the country to be vigilant, following recent clashes in Saida's Ain al-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp.
In a statement published on its website, Bahrain's Ministry of Foreign Affairs urged its nationals to "respect previous statements advising against travel to Lebanon and to leave Lebanese territory to ensure their safety." In case of emergency, Bahrain nationals can contact the embassy in Damascus for assistance. the Bahraini embassy in Beirut has been shut since several Gulf monarchies recalled their ambassadors to Lebanon between October 2021 and April 2022.
The UAE's diplomatic misison also called on its citizens to respect previous statements advising against travel to Lebanon and to call an emergency number in case it is needed.
Calls for caution
For its part, the Qatari embassy in Lebanon Saturday called on its nationals "to remain vigilant, to stay away from the areas where incidents are taking place," without specifying, and "to respect the directives issued by competent local authorities."
The same applies to the Sultanate of Oman. On Sunday, the Omani diplomatic mission called on its nationals in Lebanon to "remain cautious, respect the necessary security measures by staying away from areas of armed conflict and follow the security directives issued by the competent authorities."
Saudi Arabia Saturday asked its citizens to leave Lebanon quickly, while Kuwait urged its citizens to remain vigilant.
These decisions come in the wake of armed clashes in the camp, where at least 13 people were killed. According to security sources, fighters from the Fatah movement clashed with groups close to radical Islamists. Located adjacent the coastal city of Saida, Ain al-Hilweh camp is home to some 80,000 Palestinian refugees, making it the largest in the country.
Reacting to the travel advisories and bans, Hezbollah MP Ali Fayad denounced in a speech "the return of worrying phenomena and suspicious positions on the Lebanese scene" aimed, he said, at "targeting the country's security and political stability."
''These positions cannot be isolated from the pressures to which Lebanon is exposed," he added, saying that they demonstrate the importance of resolving the political deadlock through internal dialogue and not "by simply betting on external initiatives," a reference to Lebanon's having been without a president since the end of October, 2022.
The German ambassador in Beirut, Andreas Kindl, denied "rumors" that his country was asking German nationals to leave Lebanon. ''We are NOT asking citizens to leave. As always, we call upon German citizens to familiarize themselves with and adhere to our travel advice for Lebanon,'' he tweeted.
His message was accompanied by a link to the German Foreign Ministry's website, which, in light of the ''security situation'' in Lebanon, recommends avoiding the area south of the Litani river, in South Lebanon, and mentions the fighting in Ain al-Hilweh.
In early August, the UK also updated its travel advice for Lebanon, advising against "all but essential travel" to parts of southern Lebanon, near Ain al-Hilweh camp.