BEIRUT: A Ukrainian woman stripped naked Saturday at Beirut’s international airport before security forces rushed to cover her with a blanket.

The sight of the nude woman sitting on the ground at Rafik Hariri International Airport caused a stir and members of General Security immediately rushed to cover the European with a blanket.

A photo of the undressed woman appeared on several local websites.

There were conflicting reports about why the Ukrainian stripped naked.

A source at the airport said Sunday the Ukrainian was protesting General Security's decision to expel her from the country because her residency papers had expired.

However, some media reports said the woman was protesting the smoking ban at the airport which went into effect in June.