US Orders Citizens To Flee Lebanon Immediately As Fragile Ceasefire Ends, Airport Roads Blocked

2 min readNew DelhiApr 23, 2026 02:48 PM IST

The State Department of the United States Thursday urged all its citizens to leave Lebanon, while commercial flight options remain available, as the fragile ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon comes to an end today.

In an official statement, the US Embassy in Lebanon’s capital, Beirut, said it was closely monitoring the developments in the security situation.

“The security environment remains complex and can change quickly. We urge U.S. citizens to depart Lebanon while commercial flight options remain available. We recommend that U.S. citizens in Lebanon who choose not to leave prepare contingency plans for emergency situations and to monitor the news for breaking developments,” the US embassy suggested.

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The advisory comes just ahead of the second round of talks between Lebanon and Israel, scheduled to be held in Washington on Thursday, almost ten days after the ceasefire between the two parties came into effect on April 14.

The embassy also warned its citizens in Lebanon about potential risks of terrorism and kidnapping, while asking them to avoid demonstrations, protests, and large gatherings, which have the “potential to quickly turn violent and with little notice.”

“Do not visit collapsed structures or impacted areas. Never touch anything resembling unexploded ordnance,” it urged, elaborating that unexploded ordnance stood for a “hazard in areas that have experienced military activity.”

It also informed them that major roads between downtown Beirut and the US embassy, as well as between Beirut and Beirut-Rafic Hariri International Airport, have been blocked.

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The Embassy, in its advisory, recommended that US citizens review their plans, stay updated through local media reports on the security situation, and enroll in the Smart Traveller Enrollment Program to receive safety updates from them.

The talks, scheduled today, come less than a week after Israeli airstrikes across Lebanon killed more than 300 people, Al Jazeera reported.

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