US tells Americans in Lebanon: 'Be prepared to shelter in place'

The Biden administration on Wednesday urged Americans in Lebanon to “shelter in place” amid rising tensions in the Middle East over a series of attacks and retaliation among Hezbollah, Israel and Iran. 

The State Department updated its travel advisory for the entire country of Lebanon to Level 4: Do Not Travel. It advises Americans already there to be prepared to shelter in place if the security situation deteriorates.

The U.S. Embassy in Beirut further encouraged U.S. citizens already in southern Lebanon, near the borders with Syria or in refugee settlements to depart. 

The travel advisory comes as tensions in the Middle East are being pushed to the brink of a broader regional war over 10 months of war since Hamas’s attack on Israel on Oct. 7 and the subsequent war in the Gaza Strip. 

Israel claimed responsibility for the killing of a top Hezbollah commander in Beirut on Wednesday, in retaliation for a Hezbollah strike that killed 12 children in northern Israel. But a suspected Israeli strike against a top Hamas official in Iran on Wednesday has escalated tensions higher, with Iran vowing a response. 

While the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem updated its security alerts for staff and U.S. citizens to reconsider travel and exercise caution, the embassy in Beirut delivered a more serious warning for Americans. 

“Do Not Travel to Lebanon due to rising tensions between Hezbollah and Israel. If you are in Lebanon, be prepared to shelter in place should the situation deteriorate,” the embassy said in its statement.

It added that commercial flights remain available but for Americans to prepare that last-minute cancellations can occur without warning, pointing to several airlines suspending or canceling flights out of Beirut. 

The embassy warned against counting on U.S. military-assisted evacuations. 

“U.S. military-assisted evacuations of civilians from a foreign country are rare. There is no guarantee the U.S. government will evacuate private U.S. citizens and their family members in a crisis situation,” the embassy said in a statement. 

“In the event that a U.S. military-assisted evacuation does occur, our focus will be on helping U.S. citizens. Please ensure that you have valid travel documents to facilitate travel out of Lebanon and into a safe third country location.”