Originally Posted by
mecabq
I agree that Beirut is a great destination, and agree with your hesitancy to go now. Could be any number of headaches.
I think you've pretty much outlined the options. I would just check MEA's flight schedule and see where I could go in a manner that connected with my existing flights. Assuming you are a U.S. passport holder, Algeria might be difficult as you need a visa in advance. You could fly to Jeddah -- they now have e-visa, for which I got approved in minutes -- just for the heck of it. Or maybe Yerevan (they only fly twice a week), though it will be cold.
Yerevan and Baku are high on my list of places to visit, but as a native Floridian living in Los Angeles, my body shuts down under 50F/10C, so those places I would like to visit in the Summer. Saudi Arabia is out, as I do not have any inclination to visit. My AF flight arrives into BEY at 215pm, so I could easily hop on a number of flights to AMM or DXB. Alas, I'll just wait and see. I could easily just purchase a flight in Beirut after a couple of days there if I feel unsafe, and my hotel is extremely cheap at the 4 points Sheraton, $300 USD/week, so I can just keep my hotel room there in case I want to get out for a couple of days.