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DE RUEHC #2613/01 2750909
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O 020849Z OCT 09
FM SECSTATE WASHDC
TO ALL DIPLOMATIC AND CONSULAR POSTS COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE
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RHEHNSC/WHITE HOUSE NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASHINGTON DC
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RUEHTRO/AMEMBASSY TRIPOLI IMMEDIATE 0028
RUEHRY/AMEMBASSY CONAKRY IMMEDIATE 1784
INFO RUESBKC/ATO ASIA IMMEDIATE 1955

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 STATE 102613 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: CASC PTER ASEC LE
SUBJECT: TRAVEL WARNING - LEBANON 
 
¶1. The Department of State continues to warn U.S. citizens 
to avoid all travel to Lebanon due to current safety and 
security concerns.  Americans living and working in 
Lebanon should understand that they accept risks in 
remaining and should carefully consider those risks. This 
supersedes the Travel Warning issued on May 13, 2009 and 
updates information on security threats and special 
circumstances in Lebanon. 
 
¶2. While Lebanon enjoys periods of relative calm, the 
potential for a spontaneous upsurge in violence is real. 
Lebanese government authorities are not able to guarantee 
protection for citizens or visitors to the country should 
violence erupt suddenly. Access to borders and ports can 
be interrupted with little or no warning. Public 
demonstrations occur frequently. Under such 
circumstances, the ability of U.S. government personnel to 
 
reach travelers or provide emergency services may at times 
be severely limited. 
 
¶3. Americans have been the targets of numerous terrorist 
attacks in Lebanon in the past, and the threat of anti- 
Western terrorist activity continues to exist in Lebanon. 
On January 15, 2008, a U.S. Embassy vehicle was targeted 
in a bomb attack that killed three Lebanese bystanders. 
U.S. citizens traveling or residing in Lebanon despite 
this Travel Warning should keep a low profile, varying 
times and routes for all required travel. Americans 
should also pay close attention to their personal security 
at locations where Westerners are generally known to 
congregate, and should avoid demonstrations and large 
gatherings. 
 
¶4. On May 7, 2008, Hizballah militants blocked the road to 
Rafiq Hariri International Airport in Beirut. The action 
rendered the airport inaccessible and travelers were 
unable to enter or leave the country via commercial air 
carriers. Armed Hizballah and other opposition members 
proceeded to enter areas of Lebanon not traditionally 
under their control, resulting in heavy fighting and a 
number of casualties. Full access to the airport was 
restored on May 21, 2008, when hostilities subsided. 
Access to the airport is considered vulnerable and could 
be cut off with little warning in the event of new 
hostilities. 
 
¶5. Rocket attacks from southern Lebanon into Israel 
continue to occur, most recently on September 11, 2009. 
These attacks frequently provoke a military response from 
Israel. The rocket attacks and responses occur with no 
warning. 
 
¶6. Landmines and unexploded ordnance continually pose 
significant dangers throughout southern Lebanon, 
particularly south of the Litani River, as well as in 
areas of the country where civil war fighting was intense. 
More than 40 civilians have been killed and more than 300 
injured by unexploded ordnance remaining from the armed 
 
conflict in July-August 2006. Travelers should watch for 
posted landmine warnings and strictly avoid all areas 
where landmines and unexploded ordnance may be present. 
 
¶7. U.S. citizens traveling or resident in Lebanon despite 
this Travel Warning should be aware that the U.S. 
Embassy's ability to reach all areas of Lebanon is 
limited. The Embassy cannot guarantee that Embassy 
employees will be able to render assistance to U.S. 
citizens in many areas of the country. 
 
STATE 00102613  002 OF 003 
 
 
¶8. In the event that the security climate in the country 
worsens, Americans should be aware that they will bear the 
responsibility of arranging their own travel out of 
Lebanon. Americans with special medical or other needs 
should be aware of the risks of remaining given their 
condition, and should be prepared to seek treatment in 
Lebanon if they cannot arrange for travel out of the 
country. 
 
¶9. U.S. government-facilitated evacuations, such as the 
evacuation that took place from Lebanon in 2006, occur 
only when no safe commercial alternatives exist. 
Evacuation assistance is provided on a cost-recovery 
basis, which means the traveler must reimburse the U.S. 
government for travel costs. The lack of a current U.S. 
passport will slow the U.S. Embassy's ability to provide 
assistance. U.S. citizens remaining in Lebanon should 
therefore ensure that they have proper and current 
documentation at all times. U.S. Legal Permanent 
Residents should consult with the Department of Homeland 
Security before they depart the United States to ensure 
they have proper documentation to re-enter. Further 
information on the Department's role during emergencies is 
provided at 
 
http://www.travel.state.gov/travel/tips/emerg encies/ 
emergencies_1212.html 
 
¶10. The Department of State considers the threat to U.S. 
government personnel in Beirut sufficiently serious to 
require them to live and work under strict security 
 
restrictions. These practices limit, and may occasionally 
prevent, access by U.S. Embassy officials to certain areas 
of the country. Because of security concerns, unofficial 
travel to Lebanon by U.S. Government employees and their 
family members is discouraged and strictly limited and 
requires prior approval by the Department of State. 
 
¶11. Americans living or traveling in Lebanon are 
encouraged to register with the U.S. Embassy in Beirut 
through the State Department's travel registration 
website, https://travelregistration.state.gov/ibrs 
Americans are strongly encouraged to update their 
registration information if it is no longer current. 
 
¶12. Travelers arriving at a Lebanese port of entry with an 
Israeli stamp in their passport may be detained, arrested 
or refused entry. Penalties are particularly harsh for 
dual nationals and those of Arab descent. Immigration 
officers also will refuse entry to anyone who previously 
entered Lebanon illegally. Travelers with questions about 
their legal status in Lebanon should contact a Lebanese 
embassy or consulate in the United States prior to their 
travel to Lebanon. 
 
¶13. American citizens who come to work in Lebanon should 
ensure that their Lebanese employer arranges for proper 
documentation to remain in the country; this includes 
professional athletes, who should ensure that their 
sponsoring club/team arranges for them to receive the 
correct visas valid for the duration of their stay. 
 
¶14. Americans planning to travel between Lebanon and Syria 
should consult the Department of State's Country Specific 
Information for Syria. Americans planning to travel to 
Syria from Lebanon are strongly advised to obtain a Syrian 
visa before leaving the United States. 
 
¶15. The Embassy is located in Awkar, near Antelias, 
Beirut, Lebanon. Public access hours for American 
citizens are Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, 8:00 a.m. to 
11:00 a.m.; however, American citizens who require 
 
STATE 00102613  003 OF 003 
 
 
emergency services outside of these hours may contact the 
Embassy by telephone at any time. The telephone numbers 
are (961-4) 542-600, 543-600, and fax 544-209. 
 
¶16. Information on consular services and registration can 
also be found at http://lebanon.usembassy.gov or by phone 
at the above telephone numbers between 2:00 p.m. and 4:00 
p.m., Monday and Friday local time. Inquiries may also be 
sent via email to BeirutACS@state.gov. 
 
¶17. Updated information on travel and security in Lebanon 
may be obtained from the Department of State by calling 1- 
888-407-4747 within the United States and Canada or, from 
overseas, 1-202-501-4444. Additional details can be found 
in the Department of State's Country Specific Information 
for Lebanon and the Worldwide Caution, which are available 
on the Department's Internet website at http://travel.state.gov 
 
¶18. Minimize considered. 
CLINTON