#State Department advises US citizens not to travel to Lebanon

The Biden administration is now advising U.S. citizens not to travel to Lebanon amid the ongoing Israeli-Hamas conflict.

In a travel advisory issued Tuesday, the State Department warned against travel to Lebanon due to “the unpredictable security situation related to rocket, missile, and artillery exchanges between Israel and [Hezbollah] or other armed militant factions.”

The memo came on the same day fighting broke out between Hezbollah, a militant group based in Lebanon, along the border with Israel.

“The Lebanese government cannot guarantee the protection of U.S. citizens against sudden outbreaks of violence,” the advisory states. “Family, neighborhood, or sectarian disputes can escalate quickly and can lead to gunfire or other violence with no warning. Armed clashes have occurred along the borders, in Beirut, and in refugee settlements.”

The department said the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) have already been brought in to quell potential violence.

“Large demonstrations have erupted in the wake of recent violence in Israel and Gaza. U.S. citizens should avoid demonstrations and exercise caution if in the vicinity of any large gatherings or protests as some of these have turned violent,” the advisory continues. “Protesters have blocked major roads, including thoroughfares between downtown Beirut and the area where the U.S. Embassy is located, and between Beirut and Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport.”

President Biden is currently visiting Israel as the deadly conflict with the Palestinian militant group Hamas rages on.

His visit comes in the wake of an explosion of disputed origin at a hospital in Gaza that left at least 500 dead. Israel has blamed Palestinian militants while Hamas claimed an Israeli airstrike was responsible.

Biden appeared to side with Israel on Wednesday.

“The point is, is that I was deeply saddened and outraged by the explosion of the hospital in Gaza yesterday, and based on what I’ve seen, it appears as though it was done by the other team, not you, but there’s a lot of people out there not sure, so we’ve got a lot—we’ve got to overcome a lot of things,” he said.