Saudi Arabia calls on its citizens to quickly leave Lebanon
Saudi Arabia calls on its citizens to quickly leave Lebanon
Saudi Arabia advised its citizens on Friday to leave Lebanon and avoid areas witnessing "armed conflict," in what could be in reference to the recent clashes at a Palestinian refugee camp.
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At least 13 people were killed in fighting that broke out in the Ain al-Hilweh refugee camp (Photo by MAHMOUD ZAYYAT/AFP via Getty Images)
Saudi Arabia called on its citizens to quickly leave Lebanese territory and to avoid approaching areas seeing "armed conflicts," the Saudi embassy in Lebanon said in a statement posted late on Friday on X, formerly known as Twitter.
The kingdom did not specify which areas other than Lebanon that it was advising its citizens to avoid.
The embassy stressed "the importance of adhering to the Saudi travel ban to Lebanon," the statement added.
On 1 August, the United Kingdom also updated its travel advice for Lebanon, advising against "all but essential travel" to parts of Lebanon’s south near the Palestinian refugee camp of Ain al-Hilweh.
At least 13 people, most of them militants, were killed in fighting that broke out in the camp on July 29 between mainstream faction Fatah and hardline Islamists, security sources in the camp told Reuters.
Ain al-Hilweh is the largest of 12 Palestinian camps in Lebanon, hosting around 50,000 Palestinian refugees, according to UNRWA, the United Nations' agency for refugees from Palestine.
The Lebanese-Israeli border has also witnessed growing tensions in recent months. The Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group and the Israeli army have warned each other of military escalation.
Despite these incidents, and despite the country's unprecedented economic meltdown, the situation remains relatively calm in Lebanon.
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