CAIRO: The United States government is warning its citizens over growing security threats in Lebanon, including the potential attack by militants or kidnappings in the latest security directive from the US Embassy in Beirut. “The US embassy has received reports of an increased possibility of attacks against US citizens in Lebanon,” the embassy said in a statement. “Possible threats include kidnapping, the potential for an upsurge in violence, the escalation of family or neighborhood disputes, as well as US citizens being the target of terrorist attacks in Lebanon.” The embassy also said it had suspended the State Department's flagship Fulbright and English Language Fellow programs in the country, cutting short research projects and teaching grants for American university students and educators in Lebanon. “Embassy personnel remain under strict travel restrictions, and all US citizens are urged to take additional security precautions,” it said. The new statement comes as violence in Lebanon has increased as it spills over from Syria, which is now over 18 months into an uprising against the government of Bashar al-Assad. Over 20,000 people, predominantly civilians, have been killed since the protests began in March 2011.
