White House National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby said in an interview on Sunday that the U.S. State Department does not believe it is necessary to evacuate Americans from Israel and Lebanon at this time.
During an interview on ABC’s “This Week” program on Sunday, host Martha Raddatz asked Kirby if the U.S. government is prepared to help Americans leave Lebanon or even Israel in the event of an escalation in the Middle East. She further pointed out that when the Taliban took control of Afghanistan, the U.S. government was not prepared for personnel evacuation, and questioned whether they are confident this time.
Kirby, speaking on behalf of the White House National Security Council, replied, “We have contingency plans for evacuations in almost every corner of the world, Martha. Everything we are doing, and everything Secretary Austin is doing at the Department of Defense, is to ensure that we have the necessary capabilities, plans, and ready military forces at our disposal.”
“So we are working towards that goal,” Kirby continued. “I would add that currently, the State Department does not see the need for that. There are still commercial operations and commercial aviation traffic leaving Beirut, which Americans wanting to leave can still use.”
Kirby’s comments come amid escalating tensions in the Middle East, as Israel carried out airstrikes on Saturday targeting Hezbollah’s headquarters in Beirut, Lebanon, killing the Iranian-backed extremist organization’s leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah. Several other senior leaders of the group also died in consecutive attacks over two days.
Following the escalation of conflict, the U.S. State Department updated its travel warning for Lebanon on Saturday, allowing some State Department employees and their families to leave Beirut during a time when the security situation in this Middle Eastern country is deemed “unstable and unpredictable”.
However, Kirby stated on Sunday that the State Department “does not see the need for that”, indicating that the U.S. government believes the conflict in the Middle East has not reached an immediate escalation point.
Nevertheless, Kirby emphasized to Raddatz during the interview, “We once again urge Americans, if you are in Lebanon, if you want to leave, take advantage of these options while they are still available and leave now.”