UAE Lifts Travel Ban on Citizens Visiting Lebanon After 3-Year Standoff

The United Arab Emirates has officially lifted its travel ban to Lebanon, easing a diplomatic freeze that had been in place since 2021. The announcement follows a high-level meeting in Abu Dhabi between UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun.

According to a joint statement, both countries have agreed to put in place new systems to facilitate travel and strengthen ties, opening the door to renewed people-to-people and business exchanges.

The travel ban was originally imposed during a regional dispute in 2021 after a Lebanese minister criticized the Saudi-led intervention in Yemen. At the time, the UAE withdrew its diplomats and banned its citizens from visiting Lebanon in solidarity with Saudi Arabia.

While Lebanese citizens were not officially banned from entering the UAE, many faced visa challenges during the diplomatic freeze.

Now, with diplomatic channels reopening, this move is seen as a sign of warming relations between the two nations.