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Safety
 | warn:The U.S. State Department (last update: May 29, 2015) clearly warned of the threats faced by American citizens in Beirut: "Protesters blocked main roads to promote their cause, including downtown Beirut and Rafic Hariri International Airport. There is no warning for the main road between. If the security situation deteriorates, the passage to the airport may be cut off. The last wave of explosions in Beirut began in June 2013 and ended in mid-2014, causing hundreds of deaths and injuries, including at least two American citizens. Security agencies have made great progress in detecting and intercepting terrorist attacks. Suicide attacks and car bomb attacks have decreased significantly, but many extremist organizations are still actively planning attacks. These attacks usually involve suicide bombers, many of whom detonated vests or vehicles that missed the target. Hezbollah maintains a strong presence in southern Beirut, the Bekaa Valley and southern Lebanon. Hezbollah has been the target of other extremist organizations because they support the Assad regime in Syria. The possibility of violent clashes between Hezbollah and other extremist organizations across the country remains high. Hezbollah and other organizations sometimes detain and extensively interrogate American citizens or other foreigners for political purposes. " |
Since 2009, Lebanon has become safer and the number of tourists has increased dramatically (over 2 million in 2009), although the number of tourists has peaked since then. In 2009, the US government cancelled the warning for tourists to Lebanon, but later reissued the warning, partly because of the risk of the spread of civil war in Syria. The violence in Nah Albarid has ceased. If you choose to go to Lebanon, go to tourist cities such as Jounieh, Byblos, Tyr and Tripoli. Beirut itself is relatively safe.
The Palestinian refugee camps in Beirut are very approachable, but try to bring a local person. She/he will be very valuable in terms of logistics and safety. The size and appearance of the camps vary (Beirut’s camps are worse than some rural camps, which are more like open villages). However, most refugees are civilized and frank when they encounter foreigners. The key is of course your openness. Of course, downtown Beirut will always be a safer option, but in most cases, you will not encounter any problems in the refugee camp.
Filming of military personnel and military installations is prohibited. If you don't want to contact Hezbollah, you should also be careful when taking pictures in Dahiyeh (southern suburbs). The safest thing to do is to ask for permission from nearby officials, although your request will most likely be denied. To be safe, keep your camera in your wallet. If a Hezbollah official approaches you and sees your camera, he does not know if you have taken photos before. If you are taken for questioning (because of taking pictures), stay calm. It may take a long time to get rid of it, but the situation is unlikely to escalate or deteriorate. Bottom line: consider not bringing a camera at all. The trip to Daye Island is too interesting and too different. It shouldn't take time to be questioned by the authorities.
Avoid any government or military convoys that may pass by. The Lebanese people have adapted to all these situations