US warns its citizens against tension areas in Lebanon

The American embassy in Beirut has renewed its warnings to US citizens against traveling  to tense areas in Lebanon which are  currently witnessing security problems. The embassy has been sending  cell phone texts advising Americans not to venture into the northern areas around Tripoli or other  areas of the country currently experiencing  sectarian tension, including the capital Beirut. A Lebanese citizen holding dual American nationality told Arabstoday that the warnings began on Wednesday via mobile phone messages, and highlighted the dangers of Akkar, Tripoli, as well as Beirut’s areas of tension. The American Ambassador to Lebanon, Maura Connelly expressed the concerns of the United States saying that the  unrest in Syria might lead to instability in Lebanon. According to a statement posted via the social network Twitter,  Connelly condemned the abduction of Lebanese citizens in Syria's second city Aleppo,  who had been on a pilgrimage to Iran, calling for their release, adding that kidnapping operations, particularly those involving sectarian issues, was "unacceptable."