Najib Mikati (archive from France Press)
Mikati: “The available data indicated that the security situation in general does not cause concern and panic.”
Beirut – Reuters
Posted on: August 06, 2023: 07:46 AM GST Last updated: August 06, 2023: 09:21 AM GST
Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati announced that “the overall security situation does not cause concern and panic,” after Germany and Gulf countries issued new travel warnings following the outbreak of violence.
Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Germany and Britain updated the travel warnings amid clashes between rival factions in the Ain al-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp in southern Lebanon.
Mikati said in a statement on Saturday: “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.”
Clashes in Ain al-Hilweh camp resulted in the death of at least 13 people.
Smoke rises from the Ain al-Hilweh camp in the city of Sidon, Lebanon (archive from Reuters)
The statement indicated that Mikati “assigned the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, Abdullah Bou Habib, to communicate with the Arab brothers to reassure them of the safety of their citizens in Lebanon.”
On Friday, the Saudi embassy urged its citizens to leave Lebanon quickly and avoid areas experiencing armed conflicts.
The embassy said in a statement 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.”
Bahrain followed suit on Saturday and called on its citizens to leave the country, according to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The statement said that the Kingdom’s embassy in Damascus warned Bahrainis in Lebanon “against approaching areas currently witnessing an armed conflict, calling for them to leave Lebanese territory for their safety, noting the necessity of adhering to the statements issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in advance about not traveling permanently to Lebanon.”
On Saturday, Kuwait and Qatar urged their citizens in Lebanon to be careful and avoid areas experiencing security unrest, but they did not ask citizens to leave the country.
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.” But she did not ask them to leave.
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 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 the 12 Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon housing up to 250,000 Palestinian refugees.
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2023-08-06 03:46:00
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