The American University of Beirut, one of the Middle East's most prestigious educational institutions, announced Saturday it will shift to remote learning for at least two days following threats from Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps targeting American universities in the region.
"Like many of you we learned early this morning of threats issued against American universities in the region," University President Fadlo Khouri said in a statement to students and faculty. The closure marks a rare security measure for an institution that has remained open through decades of Lebanese turmoil, including civil war, Israeli invasions, and political assassinations.
The IRGC warning, issued through official channels, specifically mentioned American educational institutions in the Middle East as potential targets for retaliation amid escalating regional tensions. While the threat lacked specificity regarding timing or method, Lebanese security officials advised the university to take precautionary measures.
For AUB's 9,000 students, the closure represents another disruption in an academic year already marked by economic crisis, political paralysis, and now regional conflict. Many students have experienced their entire university education against the backdrop of Lebanon's multifaceted collapse.
"It's heartbreaking enough to witness Hezbollah eroding the hopes and future of an entire generation," one Lebanese student wrote in a social media post that circulated widely. "Now even the very institutions meant to educate, protect, and inspire them are being placed in harm's way."
Founded in 1866, AUB has long served as a symbol of educational excellence and intellectual freedom in a region where both are increasingly under pressure. Its campus in Beirut's Ras Beirut neighborhood has weathered Lebanon's civil war, Syrian occupation, and countless political crises while maintaining its educational mission.
The university's American affiliation has occasionally made it a target—a 1984 bombing killed four people—but it has also provided a degree of protection. alumni include presidents, prime ministers, and leading intellectuals across the Arab world. Attacking it would risk alienating constituencies beyond American interests.
