The US Embassy in Beirut is calling on all Americans still in the country to leave as Joe Biden sends troops to respond to a surge in violence between Israel and Hezbollah.
This follows a similar call from UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer. as Israeli Strikes continue to rock the country, leaving thousands dead, injured or displaced.
The Embassy is offering limited flight options from the nearest airport even though most airlines have cancelled flights.
If U.S. citizens wishing to depart lack the funds to return, the Embassy offers financial assistance through repatriation loans.
“We recommend that U.S. citizens who choose not to leave Lebanon prepare contingency plans for emergency situations and be prepared to shelter in place for an extended period of time,” they added in a statement.
The US embassy in Beirut is telling all Americans still in the country to leave, as Joe Biden sends troops to respond to a surge in violence between Israel and Hezbollah.
The Embassy is offering limited flight options from the nearest airport despite most airlines cancelling flights.
Israel expanded its airstrikes on Lebanon with air strikes on Monday that killed nearly 500 people, wounded more than 1,600 others and appeared to signal the start of a broader military campaign.
Israel said it was targeting “terrorists” linked to Hezbollah, the group that has been firing rockets into Israel.
The Pentagon announced Monday that “additional” military personnel would be deployed to join the 40,000 already stationed in the region, along with a dozen warships and squadrons of fighter jets.
Israeli forces have stepped up airstrikes inside Lebanon and the State Department has warned all Americans to leave the country as the risk of conflict rises to levels not seen in years.
Tensions have reached a boiling point over the past seven days and began to deteriorate when pagers and walkie talkies owned by Hezbollah members were blown up in a coordinated attack last week.
Devastating Israeli airstrikes killed at least 100 people and wounded 400 others in Lebanon on Monday, as IDF warplanes bombed targets across the country.
Terrified residents in Beirut and elsewhere received calls and text messages warning them to stay away from Hezbollah targets, with Lebanon’s information minister condemning the alerts as a “psychological warfare tactic deployed by the enemy.”
Schools have closed early during the heavy attacks that have prompted calls for international intervention.
Security forces and medical teams arrive at the scene after the Israeli army attacked the 4th and 5th floors of a building in the Ghobeiry municipality, where Hezbollah is strong in Dahiyeh, a southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon.
In a speech at the United Nations on Tuesday, Joe Biden called for peace in the Middle East
The Biden administration has warned Israel that escalation is not in its best interest and still wants a diplomatic solution.
In a speech at the United Nations on Tuesday, Biden called for peace in the Middle East.
“It is time for the parties to finalize their terms, bring the hostages home, ensure the security of Israel and Gaza, free Hamas from control, alleviate the suffering in Gaza and end this war on October 7,” he said.
“Since October 7, we are also determined to prevent a broader war encompassing the entire region,” he said.
“Our task, our test, is to make sure that the forces that bind us together are stronger than those that divide us,” Biden said. “I truly believe that we are at another turning point in world history, because the decisions we make today will determine our future for decades to come.”
At the Pentagon, press secretary Gen. Pat Ryder would not confirm how many troops would be deployed or where they would go.
“In light of rising tensions in the Middle East, and out of an abundance of caution, we are sending a small number of additional U.S. military personnel to augment our forces already in the region,” he said.
“Due to the unpredictable nature of the ongoing conflict between Hezbollah and Israel and the recent explosions across Lebanon, including in Beirut, the U.S. Embassy urges American citizens to leave Lebanon while business options are still available,” the State Department warned on Saturday.
