Aussies should abandon any plans to visit southern Beirut
AUSSIES planning a trip to the Middle East right now should abandon any plans to visit southern Beirut after a car bombing killed 20 at the weekend.
Foreign Minister Bob Carr upgraded the government's travel advice after a series of similar bombings in recent months.
Mr Carr said an earlier car bomb attack on July 9 and a rocket attack in late May was "barbaric".
He said due to a "risk of further attacks, Australians are advised not to travel" to the Lebanon capital's southern suburbs.
Those already there should also consider leaving, and any Australians in Lebanon currently were asked to register with the Australian Embassy.
The travel warnings also came after similar warnings last week for tourists in Cairo, Egypt, as the death toll there continues to rise.
