The American University of Beirut (AUB) announced on Sunday that it would switch to remote operations for the next two days in response to threats from Iran’s Revolutionary Guards against U.S. universities in the region.
“Like many of you, we learned early this morning of threats issued against American universities in the region. At this time, we have no evidence of direct threats against our university, its campuses, or medical centres. At the same time, out of an abundance of caution, we will operate fully online on Monday and Tuesday, with the exception of essential personnel,” AUB President Fadlo Khouri said in a statement. He added that classes and exams would also be conducted remotely during this period.
The warning from Iran’s Revolutionary Guard came after the U.S. and Israel reportedly carried out strikes that destroyed two Iranian universities. The statement demanded that the U.S. government officially condemn the attacks by 12 noon on Monday, March 30, Tehran time, to protect its regional universities from retaliation.
“We advise all employees, professors, and students of American universities in the region and residents of their surrounding areas to stay a kilometre away from campuses,” the statement further instructed.
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Several American institutions have branches throughout the Middle East, including Texas A&M University in Qatar and New York University in the United Arab Emirates. In Lebanon, AUB is one of the region’s most prominent U.S.-affiliated universities, with its campus and hospital located in central Beirut.
The escalation comes amid broader regional tensions. Lebanon was drawn into the Middle East conflict on March 2 after Tehran-backed Hezbollah fired rockets at Israel in response to the killing of Iran’s supreme leader.