The United States has raised its travel advisory level and is permitting non-essential personnel to depart Lebanon, following an incident where the US Embassy in Beirut was targeted by demonstrators supporting the Palestinian cause, leading to a fire at the embassy complex.

In response to the gathering of protestors at the embassy, who were demonstrating after an attack on a hospital in Gaza, US military units deployed smoke and gas to disperse the crowd.

Shortly after the protests began, the State Department issued an updated travel advisory.

“The Department authorized the voluntary, temporary departure of family members of US government personnel and some non-emergency personnel from US Embassy Beirut due to the unpredictable security situation in Lebanon,” the announcement read, the Daily Mail reported.

Protests in support of Palestine erupted in the Middle East following an explosion at a hospital, resulting in the tragic loss of at least 500 lives.

Palestine attributed the incident to Israel, alleging it was a deliberate airstrike. Israel, on the other hand, maintains that it was an accidental misfire from within Gaza that struck the medical facility.

Written by staff