2006 Press Releases
Lebanon Situation Update
July 15, 2006This information is current as of today, Sat Jul 15 12:20:12 2006
A message to the American citizens in Lebanon:
The Department of State continues to work with the Department of Defense on a plan to help American citizens depart Lebanon. As of the morning of July 15, we are looking at how we might transport Americans to Cyprus. Once in Cyprus, Americans can then board commercial aircraft for onward travel. Commercial airlines provide the safest and most efficient repatriation options to final destinations.
The Department of State reminds American citizens that the U.S. government does not provide no-cost transportation but does have the authority to provide repatriation loans to those in financial need. For the portion of your trip directly handled by the U.S. Government we will ask you to sign a promissory note and we will bill you at a later date. In a subsequent message, when we have specific details about the transporation arrangments, we will inform you about the costs you will incur. We will also work with commercial aircraft to ensure that they have adequate flights to help you depart Cyprus and connect to your final destination.
The Department of State continues to work around the
clock and will continue to send updates as
appropriate.
This message was sent at 1700 EST, July 14, 2006
A message to the American citizens in Lebanon:
The Department of State continues to closely monitor the situation in Lebanon and make plans for every contingency.
The Consular Section at the U.S. Embassy in Beirut will be open from 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. (local time) on Saturday, July 15.
The Department of State and Embassy Beirut are working on options to facilitate the departure of private Americans who wish to depart and would require assistance in doing so, but these plans are not yet finalized. We will provide further information as it becomes available. Here are some reports issued at 1:00 p.m. on July 14, 2006.
Both Beirut international airport, which is heavily damaged by bombings, and the Port of Beirut remain closed.
Road conditions vary greatly and are subject to change. For example, the road from Beirut to Syria at Masna was bombed and not passable. However, people located close to the border may be able to get to the border and cross into Syria. We have reports that American citizens have not been issued Syrian visas at the border and thus have not been able to enter Syrian territory.
If people encounter difficulty at crossing into Syria, they should contact the American Embassy in Damascus at 963-11-333-1342.
American citizens in Lebanon should avoid any areas where demonstrations are possible and exercise caution if within the vicinity of any demonstrations. They should maintain a high level of vigilance and take appropriate steps to increase their security awareness.
The Department of State will be working over the weekend and will post more updates to this web site.
