Threats force US to beef up security at missions
Print Edition
The United States tightened security at diplomatic missions in Lebanon and Turkey yesterday because of threats, ordering personnel out of Lebanon and offering to evacuate those in Adana in southeastern Turkey.
The State Department yesterday also warned US citizens against traveling in Lebanon and southeastern Turkey, and urged Americans in the rest of Turkey “to be alert to the potential for violence.”
Officials did not offer specifics about the threats, which were revealed less than a week before the 12th anniversary of the September 11 attacks and amid an intensifying US debate over President Barack Obama’s plans to strike Syria.
“Given the current tensions in the region, as well as potential threats to US government facilities and personnel, we are taking these steps out of an abundance of caution to protect our employees and their families, and local employees and visitors to our facilities,” said State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf.
In Lebanon, officials ordered non-emergency personnel and their family members out of the country “due to threats,” the US Embassy in Beirut said in statement.
The State Department urged “US citizens to avoid all travel to Lebanon because of current safety and security concerns.”
In Turkey, US officials offered voluntary evacuation to reduce its diplomatic presence at the consulate in Adana, Turkey, “because of threats against US government facilities and personnel.”
“The Consulate General in Adana has been authorized to draw down its non-emergency staff and family members,” the State Department said in a statement yesterday. It also recommended “that US citizens defer non-essential travel to southeastern Turkey.”
The US government will pay to fly out those who wish to leave Adana. Americans who remain in Lebanon or southeastern Turkey should remain vigilant and make their own emergency plans, officials said.
Last month, the US closed 20 of its embassies and consulates in the Middle East and Africa.
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