Lebanon has been a war zone for years crawling with terrorist militias, with just a short break from the fighting for a few years that was inevitably going to break out again because the govt. there tolerated the presence of Iranian and Syrian backed terrorist groups intent on attacking Israel, including 20% of their parliament being controlled by these same people.
And yes, I would probably suggest that Israel is not the safest place to go on vacation especially as missiles stream in by the day. But at least there's a functioning government in Israel better able to protect the lives of vacationers. The same cannot be said of Lebanon.
Getting trapped in a foreign country when a war breaks out is not that rare an event. Anybody ever read the British author Olivia Manning's wonderful books, The Balkan Trilogy? She and her husband were busy teaching English in Bucharest just before WWII, when suddenly tanks rolled down the streets and they were trapped. The first book concerns their attempts to get out - and they finally manage to do so, and end up in Egypt...and then Jerusalem.
Great stories (made into a BBC mini-series). But basically, if you go into an unstable or threatened region, it's your choice. The entire ME is unstable, and people shouldn't be surprised if sometimes its boiling-over moment coincides with their vacation.
State Dept didn't list a warning for Lebanon until 7/13.
So, I really can blame people for visiting what for years has been a quiet safe place for Americans.
Now of course, they are a big liability in that they can
be held hostage by terrorists and impair our ability
of act in the region.
They need to be out of there ASAP, at US expense if necessary. People shouldn't be going through Syria because
its "cheaper" or staying through in Beirut. Hez snatch
squads will latch onto them and parade them in front of cameras in no time.