US officials are not evacuating American citizens from war-torn Lebanon right now amid military escalations with Israel, the State Department confirmed Monday, as criticisms of the Harris-Biden administration’s past handling of Americans in conflict zones loom large.
Spokesperson Matthew Miller would not reveal which options the State Department was considering nor any plans for future evacuations during a press conference Monday, as criticisms of the Harris-Biden administration’s past handling of withdrawing Americans from conflict zones loom large.
“We are not evacuating American citizens from Lebanon at this time. We always conduct a prudent planning process. We have been doing that for some months, going back to October 7th,” Miller told reporters.
“We are exploring other potential options should we need to. But it’s not a decision we’ve made as of yet.”
At the moment, the State Department has a Level 4 travel adversary against visits to Lebanon.
“Due to the increased volatility following airstrikes within Beirut and the volatile and unpredictable security situation throughout Lebanon, the US Embassy urges US citizens to depart Lebanon while commercial options still remain available,” the advisory said.
Last Friday, Israel conducted a strike on Dahieh in Beirut that killed Hezbollah’s notorious longtime leader Hassan Nasrallah, as the US-designated terrorist organization later confirmed.
Hezbollah has been sporadically exchanging fire with Israel since the day after Hamas’ bloody Oct. 7, 2023 surprise attack on the Jewish state in which 1,200 Israelis were massacred.
Over recent weeks, the military exchanges between the two have escalated.
Recently, Israeli special forces have embarked on strategic raids in southern Lebanon amid apparent preparations for a potential ground invasion of Israel’s northern neighbor, according to multiple reports.
The US has an embassy in Beirut.
Israel finished up its last invasion of Lebanon in 2006, which came in response to an attack from the Shia Islamist terror group.
In response to simmering tensions in the region, the Pentagon has taken steps to bolster US assets in the region, including deploying additional troops.
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The Harris-Biden administration has pursued a ceasefire between Israeli and Hezbollah as well as one between Israel and Hamas.
“I think sometimes people either misinterpret or have their own version of what a cease-fire is. A cease-fire is not one side in a conflict unilaterally putting down its arms and stopping,” Miller said.
“Military pressure can at times enable diplomacy. Of course, military pressure can also lead to miscalculation. It can lead to unintended consequences. And we’re in conversations with Israel about all of these factors now.”
Past issues with evacuations
During President Biden’s first year in office, he faced heavy criticism over the lack of planning for the evacuation of US citizens, personnel and Afghan allies from Afghanistan during the withdrawal in 2021.
Scores of allies were left behind in the beleaguered country as the Taliban roared back to power and viciously hunted down those who aided the US, as was detailed in a scathing report on the withdrawal by the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
Multiple after-action reports criticized the administration for not beginning sooner a non-combatant evacuation mission – which was only declared after Kabul fell to the Taliban on Aug. 15.
The White House faced similar issues in the aftermath of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel, when a slew of Americans got stuck there amid the conflict.
At one point, for instance, dozens of members of a California-based church group were stuck and Israel and pleaded with the State Department to help charter a flight to get them out.
Rep. Cory Mills (R-Fla.) later helped shuttle some of the stranded Americans out of Israel as the war erupted in the Gaza Strip.
