More than 1,110 U.S. citizens have fled Lebanon as the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah intensifies, U.S. officials confirmed.
The U.S. government coordinates evacuation flights, with thousands of seats available for Americans wishing to leave the country. On Wednesday morning, 50 Americans boarded a flight to Istanbul, U.S. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said during a press briefing.
“We’ve had some flights go out with around 150 people and other flights with fewer passengers. This will be an ongoing assessment we make as needed,” Miller explained.
He added that flights will continue as necessary, as many foreign nationals are also evacuating Lebanon to escape the growing conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.
Southern Lebanon has seen the heaviest bombardments as Israeli forces target Hezbollah strongholds. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) have launched extensive ground operations to dismantle Hezbollah’s weapons infrastructure, forcing hundreds of thousands of residents to flee.
Among those leaving are thousands of Syrian refugees who are returning to their homeland, which they initially fled in 2011 during the Syrian civil war, Lebanese officials reported.
When asked about the escalating violence in Lebanon, Miller reaffirmed U.S. support for Israel’s targeted strikes on Hezbollah while simultaneously calling for de-escalation. “We cannot and must not see the situation in Lebanon turn into anything like the situation in Gaza,” Miller warned, referencing the ongoing Israeli military operations in Gaza.
Despite calls for calm, Israel’s military has no plans to reduce its operations in Lebanon. The IDF announced on Wednesday that it has conducted over 1,100 airstrikes in recent weeks, aiming to keep Hezbollah forces on the defensive. IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi stated that Israel would continue its aggressive campaign to ensure Hezbollah “does not get any respite or recovery.”
“Our strikes will be powerful, precise, and surprising,” Halevi said. “They will not understand what happened or how it happened.”
Meanwhile, Hezbollah has retaliated by firing at least 90 missiles into northern Israel, with most either intercepted or landing in empty fields, according to the IDF. As the conflict shows no signs of abating, international concerns about a broader regional escalation grow.
