US Evacuation Efforts in Lebanon
As bombing intensifies around Beirut, only a tiny fraction of the 86,000 Americans and green card holders who reside in Lebanon have been evacuated with U.S. help. The State Department says it’s made some 5,000 seats available on both commercial and chartered flights for U.S. citizens, but there’s a catch: they have to get to the airport amid regular bombings on their own, and many may have to leave family behind. That’s what’s led to only around a quarter of those seats being filled by 1,100 U.S. citizens, legal permanent residents, and family members flying out across 10 U.S.-organized flights, according to advocates.
Since July, the U.S. has had a level 4 “do not travel” advisory for Lebanon encouraging citizens to get out. On Sept. 27, the State Department said it would not be evacuating Americans, prompting airlines to charge exorbitant prices – between $5,000 and $8,000 per seat. The department then backpedaled and said it would help organize flights at reasonable rates.
State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller stated that the U.S. will continue to organize flights as long as the security situation in Lebanon remains critical and there is demand for evacuation. However, critics argue that the U.S. government must make a concerted effort to evacuate its citizens in Lebanon by land and sea, similar to the response for Americans in Israel last October.
