3 Scandinavian Nations Advise Against Traveling to Lebanon

Smoke rises after Israeli army shelling on Umm Al-tut village, near the Lebanese-Israeli border, southern Lebanon, 19 October 2023. EPA/WAEL HAMZEH
Smoke rises after Israeli army shelling on Umm Al-tut village, near the Lebanese-Israeli border, southern Lebanon, 19 October 2023. EPA/WAEL HAMZEH
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3 Scandinavian Nations Advise Against Traveling to Lebanon

Smoke rises after Israeli army shelling on Umm Al-tut village, near the Lebanese-Israeli border, southern Lebanon, 19 October 2023. EPA/WAEL HAMZEH
Smoke rises after Israeli army shelling on Umm Al-tut village, near the Lebanese-Israeli border, southern Lebanon, 19 October 2023. EPA/WAEL HAMZEH

Denmark, Sweden and Norway have further tightened their travel advisories for Lebanon and cautioned against travel there until further notice.

Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide said Thursday that Norway was “tightening the travel advice due to the serious security situation in the region. There are daily military actions on the border between Lebanon and Israel. This increases the risk throughout Lebanon.”

Denmark's Foreign Ministry said the security level in Lebanon had been changed to red.

“Staying in Lebanon entails a very high security risk,” the ministry said. It “strongly encouraged” Danish citizens in the country to leave.

Barth Eide noted that flights were still available from Beirut but that “at short notice, it may become even more difficult to leave Lebanon.”

Sweden's travel advice was updated late Wednesday.



Blinken Speaks to Israel’s Dermer about Humanitarian Situation in Gaza

 A man sits on rubble of a house destroyed in an Israeli strike at the Nuseirat refugee camp, central Gaza Strip, on November 12, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas. (AFP)
A man sits on rubble of a house destroyed in an Israeli strike at the Nuseirat refugee camp, central Gaza Strip, on November 12, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas. (AFP)
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Blinken Speaks to Israel’s Dermer about Humanitarian Situation in Gaza

 A man sits on rubble of a house destroyed in an Israeli strike at the Nuseirat refugee camp, central Gaza Strip, on November 12, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas. (AFP)
A man sits on rubble of a house destroyed in an Israeli strike at the Nuseirat refugee camp, central Gaza Strip, on November 12, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas. (AFP)

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken emphasized the importance of improving the humanitarian situation in Gaza in a meeting with Israeli Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer in Washington on Monday, the State Department said.

Dermer updated Blinken on operational changes and policy decisions taken by Israel in response to a US letter sent in October, the department said in a statement on Tuesday.

Blinken "emphasized the importance of ensuring those changes lead to an actual improvement in the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza, including through the delivery of additional assistance to civilians throughout Gaza," State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in the statement.