Violence in Lebanon

Tensions are rising in Lebanon with the influx of thousands of refugees from neighboring troubled Syria plus escalating conflicts between Sunni and Shiite religious groups. In May, at least nine people were killed in Tripoli in clashes triggered by the arrest of an anti-Assad (Syria’s president) activist. Also, Sunni gunmen in Beirut fought through neighborhoods following the killing of a cleric.

Several Middle Eastern and Western nations have urged their citizens to avoid Lebanon and its border regions.