TEL AVIV — The Pentagon is moving U.S. military assets closer to Israel and Lebanon to evacuate American citizens if fighting intensifies between Israel and Hezbollah, according to three U.S. defense officials and a former U.S. official familiar with the plans.
The United States Wasp, an amphibious assault ship, and Marines from the 24th Expeditionary Unit, which specializes in special operations, moved into the Mediterranean on Wednesday to join the dock landing ship USS Oak Hill and another dispatch of her amphibious capable crews. Line with the Marine Corps. Officials said Wasp will operate in the eastern Mediterranean to be capable of conducting troop assisted repatriation and alternative missions.
The purpose of the Wasp and Marine Expeditionary Unit is to act as military force and prevent territorial escalation in line with the US’s respectable habit of planning.
The development comes as tensions rise between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon and cross-border firing increases. U.S. officials are more concerned that Israel is planning to launch airstrikes into Lebanon in the coming weeks and a possible Grassroots attack, the officials said.
Despite pressure from the Biden administration, Israeli officials want to side with Hezbollah in Lebanon, in line with US officials accustomed to negotiations. Israel is expected to create a 10-mile buffer zone along the Lebanese border, in line with US and Israeli officials.
Israel wants to push Hezbollah away from the border and is pushing for a diplomatic solution, but if that doesn’t work, Israel Security Forces are capable of using force, an Israeli official said.
The aim, Honorable said, is to return peace to northern Israel so that the 60,000 Israelis who fled within 8 months due to Hezbollah rocket fire can go home.
Marines from the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit are trained to help civilians escape harsh environments. The Wasp also has offensive and surveillance functions, and will deploy F-35s, American long-range stealth fighters.
According to US defense officials, the US may also hold talks with similar allies to coordinate the evacuation and operations of any coalition forces.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant is in Washington, DC to meet with Biden leadership officials.
It does not appear that Iran and its Hezbollah supporters are expecting a full-scale war with Israel and like a status of flux, which puts Israel below world power, according to flux and former US officials and Western officials. Fighting in Gaza and the north is weakening Israel’s military, building tensions within political ranks and with Israeli allies.
US officials have consistently said they have not yet seen evidence that a primary surge is imminent, but have warned that all it takes is one accident or miscalculation to temporarily escalate the situation. The pressure on Israel to behave like its voters in the North is “very real”, said one American hon. Israeli officials “genuinely feel the urge to do something,” said one American official. “They feel the status quo is not sustainable.”
America evacuated 15,000 people in 2006
On Thursday, the US Embassy in Beirut warned American citizens to reconsider traveling to Lebanon. “The security environment remains complex and subject to rapid change,” the alert warned.
The Order Section estimated in 2022 that 86,000 US citizens live in Lebanon. In 2006, the US evacuated 15,000 people from the country during Israel’s war with Hezbollah.
According to direct knowledge of the matter, several aid organizations have already evacuated their employees’ dependents from Lebanon.
Canada is preparing contingency plans to evacuate about 20,000 Canadians from Lebanon and allied military leaders met Tuesday to discuss options, CBC reported.
Officials in Ottawa said Canada is preparing contingency plans to evacuate about 20,000 Canadians from Lebanon.
Canada’s Nationwide Defense Section stated that the Canadian Defense Forces “are in contact with allies and like-minded countries, monitoring the global landscape to maintain awareness of upcoming threats resulting from threats to Canadians and to support Canadian interests.” There may be requests.”
Asked whether the U.S. was taking extra precautions as tensions between Israel and Hezbollah escalate, White House national security spokesman John Kirby said Wednesday, “It’s something we’re watching very closely. We continue to monitor. We also modify force protection procedures and protocols as the threat changes.
In a statement, Adrienne Watson, spokeswoman for the White House National Safety Council, said that restoring peace along the Israel-Lebanon border “remains a top priority for the United States and must be of utmost importance to both Lebanon and Israel. We will continue to work toward a diplomatic solution that will allow Israeli and Lebanese citizens to return safely to their homes and live in peace and security.
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