Dutch embassies in Beirut, Tehran still open despite growing tensions

The Dutch embassies in Beirut and Tehran are still open, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. "We are following the situation closely," he reported. It was reported last weekend that Sweden had closed their embassy in the Lebanese capital city due to the ongoing conflict in the region.

After an Israeli attack on a Hezbollah commander in Beirut and the assassination of a Hamas leader in the Iranian capital, there have been fears of an escalation of violence in the region. Internationally, people are expecting an attack on Israel by Iran and the Lebanese militia Hezbollah.

Travel advice for Lebanon and Iran has been in the red for a while. This means that Dutch people are strongly advised against travelling to the countries. Those who are already there are advised to leave if it is still safe to do so. Nothing is going to change to this guidance now that the situation is threatening to get out of hand in the regions, a spokesperson for the ministry said. We do not issue a red travel advisory lightly." There is, therefore, no such thing as "red plus" now that tensions are rising, he explains.

The spokesperson said the ministry could not tell the number of people with Dutch passports who could be in the countries because people do not have to register when they travel to that area. He would not make an estimation either. He did emphasize that the ministry is doing everything it can to reach people with a message that the countries are not safe. The Dutch embassy in Beirut will give people another warning to leave Lebanon.

When it comes to the embassies, the spokesperson said, "The safety of our people and their families is the priority. For security reasons, we will only communicate at the time itself or afterward if we take security measures"."