The American newspaper “Washington Post”, citing officials in President Joe Biden’s administration, said that 600,000 US citizens living in Israel and Lebanon constitute a source of concern to them.
She stated that the evacuation of these people represents the worst scenario against the backdrop of the Israeli war on Gaza.
The Washington Post said that the Biden administration is preparing for the possibility that “hundreds of thousands of Americans will need to be evacuated from the Middle East if the bloodshed in Gaza is not contained,” according to what 4 officials familiar with the US government’s emergency plans said.
This matter, which the newspaper described as “terrifying,” comes at a time when Israel is preparing, with the help of American weapons and experts, for what is widely believed to be a ground attack on Hamas, fraught with risks, in response to the movement’s stunning attack that crossed the border on October 7.
The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that Americans living in Israel and Lebanon are of particular concern, although officials stressed that an evacuation of this size is a worst-case scenario, while other possibilities seem more likely.
“It is irresponsible not to have a plan for everything,” one official said.
World Health Organization: Forced evacuation in northern Gaza is a “death sentence”
Despite the Biden administration’s strong public support for Israel, it is very concerned about the potential for the conflict to expand.
Over the past few days, it has directed part of its attention to complex logistics, including suddenly having to evacuate a large number of people, according to three officials familiar with the discussions.
There are 600,000 American citizens in Israel and about 86,000 are believed to have been in Lebanon when Hamas attacked Israel, according to US State Department estimates.
#Washington #Post #plan #evacuate #Americans #Middle #East
2023-10-24 06:41:33
