Lebanon

Is Lebanon safe to visit?

Not in 2026. Lebanon was pulled into the US-Iran war on 2 March, when Hezbollah resumed rocket fire on Israel and Israel answered with airstrikes across the south, the Bekaa Valley and Beirut's southern suburbs. Lebanon's Health Ministry says Israeli attacks have killed 4,362 people and wounded 12,378 since 2 March, according to its figure of 6 September. A ceasefire has been in place on paper since 16 April, but strikes have not stopped.

The US State Department rates Lebanon Level 4 (do not travel for any reason). The UK is narrower and still allows central Beirut, the northern coast and most of Mount Lebanon. We score Lebanon 45, below Israel and far below Jordan, with medium confidence because the conflict changes week to week.

The 2026 war and the ceasefire

Within a week of 2 March, strikes had hit Beirut, the south and the east. By 24 April the Health Ministry's toll was 2,491 dead and 7,719 wounded, Al Jazeera reported. The ministry does not separate civilians from fighters.

The ceasefire that began on 16 April was extended for three weeks in late April and again in May. When a renewed truce took effect in June, shortly after the US-Iran memorandum of understanding, the ministry still reported 83 people killed in Israeli attacks in a single day and a total of 4,057 dead (Al Jazeera, 20 June). The FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary's latest update describes a cessation of hostilities announced in June, with fighting and airstrikes continuing, particularly in southern Lebanon, where an Israeli military presence remains. It also notes that Israeli forces have fired at civilians who ignored orders to leave those areas.

Israel often issues evacuation warnings before airstrikes, but the FCDO says many strikes came without notice. That makes it hard to plan around the risk, even in areas that look calm.

No-go areas and Beirut airport

The US makes no distinction: its advisory covers the whole country and warns that strikes can hit Beirut. It also warns of landmines and unexploded ordnance south of the Litani River, along the Syrian border and near refugee settlements.

The UK, after changing its map on 10 August 2026, advises against all travel to:

• the South and Nabatiyeh governorates;
• Beirut's southern suburbs (Dahieh), including Haret Hraik, Burj al Barajneh, Chiyah and Ghobeiry;
• eastern Bekaa, east of the Masnaa-Rachaiya road;
• northern Baalbek-Hermel and the Akkar border area;
• the 12 Palestinian refugee camps.

It advises against all but essential travel to the rest of Baalbek-Hermel (including Baalbek's Roman temples), southern Bekaa, the south of the Chouf and eastern Tripoli.

Rafic Hariri International Airport is open. The British no-go zone in the southern suburbs excludes Route 51, the road from central Beirut to the airport. Check the situation before you drive there, and book a fare you can change.

Kidnapping, guns and crime

Lebanon's ordinary crime rate is moderate: UNODC's latest figure is 2.64 homicides per 100,000Homicide rateThe number of people killed on purpose each year for every 100,000 residents. It is the most comparable crime figure between countries.More in the glossary people (2024), after a peak of 3.3 in 2021. What sets it apart is the number of guns. The FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary says Hezbollah and other groups hold weapons beyond state control, arguments can escalate to shooting, and celebratory gunfire, though illegal, causes casualties every year. Drug gangs fight the army in the northern Bekaa.

Both governments warn that foreigners may be kidnapped, including tourists, aid workers and journalists. Most crime against visitors is opportunistic, mainly purse snatching and pickpocketing. The FCDO also warns of robberies in shared service taxis and of sexual harassment in public; power cuts leave many streets dark at night.

Hospitals, cash and power cuts

The economic crisis that began in 2019 still shapes daily life. The FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary says private hospitals in Beirut have stabilised and doctors are well trained, but hospitals demand large cash deposits before admitting patients, even in emergencies, and some medicines are hard to find. Cholera cases have been reported, so drink bottled water.

Cards are often refused and US dollars are the main currency. Electricity from the grid is limited; most businesses run generators. Bring a torch and enough cash for your stay and any medical deposit, and make sure your insurance covers Lebanon at all, since cover can lapse in areas the FCDO advises against.

Roads and natural hazards

WHO estimatesWHO road-death estimateThe World Health Organization's estimate of road traffic deaths per 100,000 people in a country, adjusted for deaths that police statistics miss.More in the glossary 9.7 road deaths per 100,000 people in 2021, well below its older estimate of 16.4 for 2019, which used a different method. The FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary says driving standards are poor, traffic lights are often off and night driving outside towns is best avoided; a car with driver is safer for first-time visitors. The FCDO says Lebanon no longer accepts the 1949 international driving permit, so bring the 1968 version.

Lebanon lies in an earthquake zone, and forest fires spread quickly in summer. Neither compares with the risk from the war.

How to stay safe in Lebanon

• Read the US and UK advice the day before you fly; zones change quickly.
• Stay out of the south, the southern suburbs and the Bekaa, and do not photograph military sites or Hezbollah areas.
• Register with your embassy and keep a plan to leave or shelter for several days without outside help.
• Carry cash in US dollars and your passport at all times; expect checkpoints.
• Call 112 for police and 140 for an ambulance.

How we scored it

Conflict (10) is the weakest factor: more than 4,000 people killed in 2026, ongoing strikes and a country-wide US Level 4. Natural hazards (72), violent crime (76), roads (69) and petty crime (68) are moderate, and health (60) is held back by the economic crisis. The weighted average is 58. The overall score is capped at 45 (conflict + 35): when conflict is this severe, good roads, health care or low crime cannot lift a country above that.