U.S. Embassy Spokesperson Refutes Fake Evacuation Advisory Circulating on Social Media

The U.S. Embassy has refuted a false advisory circulating on social media that allegedly warns of evacuations for USAID employees and claims of imminent Israeli retaliation against Lebanon.

Sama Habib, a spokesperson for the U.S. Embassy, clarified in a statement to LBCI that the embassy and USAID were not behind the advisory, which falsely warned of targeted attacks on Beirut and other state infrastructure.

The post, which has spread across social media platforms, cited a supposed Israeli response to an early morning attack from Lebanon on Tel Aviv, urging residents to stay home and avoid various critical infrastructure points across Beirut and its surrounding areas.

The post falsely accuses USAID of sending instructions to people to avoid bridges, the airport, the seaport, army bases, highways, and several specific locations, including Beirut’s western suburbs, energy distribution sites, and military bases.

For official information from the U.S. Embassy, U.S. citizens should check the embassy website (https://lb.usembassy.gov/category/alert/) and enroll in their STEP program: https://mytravel.state.gov/s/step.