US urges Americans not to travel to Lebanon

 The US Embassy in Beirut urged on Sunday Americans not to travel to Lebanon, citing security concerns.
The US embassy in Beirut "urges all US citizens to avoid all travel to Lebanon due to safety and security concerns," the embassy said on its website.
The warning came two days after eight Lebanese soldiers were killed and at least 22 were wounded in clashes between the army and militants near the Syrian border.
The embassy warned that "reports in local media on January 23, 2015 [said] that a suspected suicide bomber confessed to authorities that future targets had allegedly included Casino du Liban in Jounieh, and Le Royal Hotel in Dbayeh," the embassy said.
"While the security forces of Lebanon have had a number of important successes in preventing suicide attacks, the US Embassy continues to urge US citizens in Lebanon to exercise heightened security awareness of their surroundings at all times," the embassy added.