Israel Norway withdraws embassy staff from Lebanon

Norway is withdrawing some of its embassy staff from the Lebanese capital Beirut. The background to this is that the situation in the country has deteriorated further in the face of numerous Israeli attacks, which have also hit Beirut and the UN peacekeeping forces (Unifil), according to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Oslo. The ambassador and a small number of other Norwegian diplomats will remain in the country for the time being.

"The security situation in Lebanon remains extremely tense and unclear. There have been bomb attacks near the Norwegian embassy in Beirut. Some of the Norwegian diplomats deployed are therefore leaving Lebanon temporarily," the statement said. Norwegian citizens were also asked to leave the country as long as this was still possible.