State Dept: No Plans For 'Evacuation' Of US Citizens From Lebanon As Hezbollah-Israel Tensions Grow

2 months ago

State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel was asked about US plans to evacuate citizens from Lebanon amid growing tensions between Hezbollah and Israel.

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Transcript

00:00Jenny.

00:01Q All I have on Daphne's questions on Lebanon, has the U.S. specifically warned Israel against

00:05striking Beirut as it's part of its response to that?

00:08MR RATHKE I'm not going to speak to specific diplomatic

00:11engagements, Jenny.

00:14First and foremost, let me just reiterate what I've said previously, is that Israel

00:17has a right to defend itself against terrorism.

00:20We are continuing to engage and we're continuing to seek a durable diplomatic solution that

00:25ends all types of cross-border fire, and it makes it possible for those who are displaced

00:31on both sides to return home.

00:33That is our priority.

00:34Q Does the U.S. consider striking Beirut within

00:37the right to defend itself, given the potential for escalation?

00:40MR RATHKE That's just a hypothetical, Jenny.

00:42We're not going to get ahead of that process.

00:44What we're focused on right now is engaging in a diplomatic conversation with both sides.

00:48Our priority is creating the conditions so that civilians on both sides of the borders

00:52can safely return home.

00:54Q A number of carriers have canceled flights

00:57to Lebanon.

00:58How is the State Department preparing to help U.S. citizens who might want to be there?

01:02MR RATHKE So we have no higher priority than the safety

01:04and security of U.S. citizens overseas.

01:07Our message to American citizens in Lebanon continues to be that they should enroll in

01:13the Smart Traveler program so that they can receive important messages about the safety

01:18conditions on the ground and other considerations and factors that they may have.

01:23We don't have any plans for – or an announcement as it relates to an evacuation or efforts

01:29for private U.S. citizens from Lebanon.

01:31I will also use this opportunity to remind folks that as it relates to the Travel Advisory

01:37Warning for the entire country, that continues to be at a level three, and specifically southern

01:42Lebanon is at a level four.

01:44Commercial flights, some of them continue to remain available, and so we encourage American

01:49citizens to look into those options.

01:51But in addition to enrolling in Smart Travel, there's a number of other steps that we

01:56think that they can take.

01:58They should make sure to have a plan in place.

02:00They should also make sure that their U.S. passport is valid.

02:03All of these things, if they enroll in Smart Traveler and engage with our consular team,

02:08those are things that we can assist with them on.

02:09Q And has there been any change in the posture at the embassy in terms of staffing or security?

02:13MR RATHKE There is not.

02:14There is not.

State Dept: No Plans For 'Evacuation' Of US Citizens From Lebanon As Hezbollah-Israel Tensions Grow

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