Citizens in Lebanon told to stay away from conflict areas

Muscat: The Embassy of the Sultanate of Oman in Lebanon called on all its citizens to stay away from areas of armed conflict there.

In a statement published on Saturday, the embassy called on all its citizens present in Lebanese territory to exercise caution and adhere to all necessary security measures, to stay away from areas witnessing armed conflicts, while following the security instructions issued by the competent authorities.

It urged citizens to call the following emergency numbers:

0096176010037, 009611856555

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.

Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, 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 with 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 the fighting.

Saudi Arabia called on its citizens to quickly leave Lebanese territory and to avoid approaching areas where there have been armed clashes, 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 in 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. Kuwait also issued an advisory early on Saturday calling on Kuwaitis in Lebanon to stay vigilant and avoid "areas of security disturbances" but stopped short of asking them to leave the country, according to a statement by the Kuwaiti Foreign Ministry posted on X.

On Aug. 1, 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 camp of Ain el-Hilweh.