Romania’s flag carrier Tarom announced that it suspended its July 31 and August 1 flights to\/from Beirut amid worsening tensions in the Middle East and following the warning issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to avoid any travel to this region.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“Tarom advises all passengers affected by these cancellations to contact the company to reschedule the trip for a later date at no additional cost. Passengers also have the option to request a refund,” reads the announcement<\/a>.<\/p>\n The airline also said it continues to monitor the situation in the Middle East and inform travelers “about the status of the flights scheduled for the coming days.”<\/p>\n “We recommend passengers to follow the company’s official communications and contact the Tarom team for assistance,” it said.<\/p>\n The Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE) issued a travel warning for Lebanon due to an “increased risk of escalation” in the region, urging Romanians to avoid any travel to this state.\u00a0<\/p>\n “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reminds Romanian citizens of the existence of security risks [\u2026], with the firm recommendation to avoid any travel because of the security situation that risks deteriorating unpredictably, affecting the availability of commercial flights and travel routes,” reads the ministry’s statement.<\/p>\n Romanians in Lebanon have also been advised to “responsibly evaluate the possibility of leaving the territory of this state as long as commercial flights and exit routes are available.”<\/p>\n “It is strongly recommended to leave the southern areas of the Republic of Lebanon (the region south of the Litani River) immediately given the recent armed clashes in the Lebanese-Israeli border area,” the MAE also said.<\/p>\n Lebanon has been bracing for conflict with Israel since a strike last weekend in the\u00a0Israeli-occupied Golan Heights\u00a0killed 12 children and teenagers, Reuters<\/a> reported. Hezbollah has denied blame, but Israel’s military claimed it killed the armed group’s most senior commander in an airstrike on Beirut on Tuesday.<\/p>\n irina.marica@romania-insider.com<\/p>\n