Advertisement
Middle East
WorldMiddle East

Lebanon seeks to reassure Gulf, Germany, UK after travel warnings amid violence

  • Lebanon’s caretaker premier Najib Mikati said on Saturday there was no cause for ‘concern or panic’ about his country’s security situation
  • Mikati said there had been ‘significant progress’ in resolving the violence in Ain el-Hilweh, where at least 13 people have been killed in fighting

Reading Time:2 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
Lebanese soldiers stand guard at the entrance of Ain el-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp during clashes between supporters of the Fatah movement and rival groups, in Sidon, Lebanon on Tuesday. Photo: EPA-EFE
Reuters

Lebanon’s caretaker premier Najib Mikati said on Saturday there was no cause for “concern or panic” about his country’s security situation, after Germany and Gulf countries issued new travel warnings following outbreaks of violence.

Advertisement
Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Germany and Britain updated their travel warnings amid clashes between rival armed groups in the Palestinian camp of Ain el-Hilweh in Lebanon’s south.

In a statement, Mikati said he had spoken to his security chiefs and assessed that the situation “does not call for concern or panic”. He said there had been “significant progress” in resolving the violence in Ain el-Hilweh, where at least 13 people have been killed in fighting.

Palestinian residents who fled their homes after clashes between supporters of the Fatah movement and rival groups, in Ain el-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp rest in a local mosque in Sidon, Lebanon on Tuesday. Photo: EPA-EFE
Palestinian residents who fled their homes after clashes between supporters of the Fatah movement and rival groups, in Ain el-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp rest in a local mosque in Sidon, Lebanon on Tuesday. Photo: EPA-EFE

The statement said foreign minister Abdullah Bou Habib had been tasked with reassuring Arab countries that their citizens were safe in Lebanon.

The Saudi embassy on Friday urged its citizens to leave Lebanon quickly and avoid areas where there have been armed clashes.

The Saudi statement on X, formerly known as Twitter, stressed “the importance of adhering to the Saudi travel ban to Lebanon”.
Advertisement
Kuwait on Saturday urged its nationals in Lebanon to stay vigilant and avoid “areas of security disturbances,” but stopped short of asking them to leave.
Advertisement