Sweden Shuts Lebanon Embassy Over Fears of Escalation

A man rides his moped past a billboard bearing portraits of slain leaders, Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas, Iranian Quds Force chief Qasem Soleimani (C), and Hezbollah senior commander Fuad Shukr on the main road near the Beirut International Airport on August 3, 2024. (Photo by Ibrahim AMRO / AFP)

Sweden said Saturday it was shutting its embassy in Beirut amid fears the war in Gaza could escalate into a region-wide conflict, after urging thousands of its citizens to leave Lebanon.
The killing of Hamas and Hezbollah leaders this week, blamed on Israel, have heightened regional tensions amid the Gaza war.
“The foreign ministry has instructed its staff to leave Beirut and travel to Cyprus, and the foreign ministry is planning a temporary relocation of its embassy,” Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom told Swedish Radio, according to Agence France Presse.
The decision had been taken “initially for the month of August but may be extended depending on the security situation.”
“The ministry is monitoring developments closely,” he said.
According to the foreign ministry, as many as 10,000 Swedish nationals may have traveled to Lebanon this summer, defying a travel warning in place for the country since October 2023.
“I urge Swedes in Lebanon to leave the country by whichever means possible, while they still can,” he said.