Lebanon’s caretaker prime minister, Najib Mikati, said on Saturday that “the overall security situation does not cause concern and panic,” after Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Germany and Britain in the Gulf issued new travel warnings in the wake of the outbreak of violence.
Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Germany and Britain issued travel warnings, amid clashes between rival factions in the Ain al-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp in southern Lebanon.
Mikati said in a statement, “As a result of the research with the military and security leaders, the available data indicated that the security situation in general does not cause concern and panic, and that the political and security contacts to deal with the events of Ain al-Hilweh camp have made advanced strides.”
The clashes resulted in the deaths of 13 people.
Reuters quoted Mikati as saying, “He instructed the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, Abdullah Bou Habib, to communicate with our Arab brothers to reassure them of the safety of their citizens in Lebanon.”
Growing fears of a possible deterioration of the security situation in Lebanon
On Friday, the Saudi embassy urged its citizens to leave Lebanon quickly and avoid areas witnessing armed conflicts.
The embassy said in a statement posted on the X platform, formerly known as Twitter, “The embassy would like to warn the honorable citizens against being present and approaching areas witnessing armed conflicts, and also calls on citizens to quickly leave Lebanese territory, and the importance of adhering to the decision to prevent Saudis from traveling to Lebanon.”
Early on Saturday, Kuwait also issued a statement calling on its citizens in Lebanon to exercise caution. The Kuwaiti embassy in Lebanon said in a statement on the account of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the X platform, “The embassy of the State of Kuwait in the Lebanese Republic calls upon the citizens of the State of Kuwait present in the Lebanese Republic to exercise caution and caution, to stay away from sites of security disturbances in some areas, and to adhere to the instructions issued by the competent local authorities.”
Last week, Germany warned its citizens against traveling to Palestinian camps in Lebanon and other regions. Britain also advised its citizens not to travel “except for necessity” to areas of southern Lebanon, including near Ain al-Hilweh.
About a quarter of the camp’s 80,000 residents were displaced by the clashes that erupted on July 29 between Fatah and Islamist militants.
According to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), the Ain al-Hilweh camp is the largest of 12 Palestine refugee camps in Lebanon housing up to 250,000 Palestine refugees across the country.
(Reporting by Maya Jubaili from Beirut and Vera Eckert from Germany – Prepared by Amira Zahran for the Arabic Bulletin – Edited by Hassan Ammar)
2023-08-05 18:51:47
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