Lebanon has withdrawn as host of next month’s Asian athletics championships due to the security situation in the country, an Indian athletics official said on Friday.

Lebanese capital Beirut had been scheduled to host the July 29 to Aug. 2 meet but the country is in the midst of a seven-month political crisis. The death toll from recent fighting between Lebanese security forces and al Qaeda-inspired militants has risen to 115.

"They (Lebanese federation) have expressed their inability because of the circumstances there, the violence," Indian athletics secretary Lalit Bhanot told Reuters.

"They’ve informed us that the government is not ready to give guarantees for the safety of the athletes," he added.

Efforts are now underway to find an alternate venue to stage the event before the world championships start in Osaka, Japan on Aug. 25.