The State Department on Thursday said the U.S. has evacuated approximately 250 Americans from Lebanon this week, after tensions between Israel and Hezbollah escalated into ground operations in Lebanon.
Tensions in the Middle East continue to surge after Iran launched a series of over 100 missiles at Israel on Tuesday, which was in retaliation for Israel killing Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Lebanon last week.
State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said the U.S. has sponsored two private charters to help get Americans out of the war zone, which has helped at least 250 Americans and their families get out of the Middle East. Both planes went to Istanbul in Turkey.
“What we have tried to do is be responsive to the situation as it changes,” Miller told reporters during a news briefing. “So when there were ample commercial flights available, we were urging American citizens to take them. When the number of commercial flights shrunk, we first worked with the remaining carrier to make seats available, and when we found that there were still more American citizens that wanted to leave, we organized our own flights."
Miller said that more than 6,000 Americans stuck in Lebanon have reached out to the U.S. embassy in Beirut for information on leaving the country. The spokesman also noted that given the high prices of commercial flights, the State Department is setting up a loan program that helps Americans pay their way.
"While the cost varies on the flights that we have organized, the most that any American will pay for a seat on those flights is $283 and if they can’t afford $283, if they don’t have $283, we will provide them a loan from the U.S. government for the cost of that ticket on board," Miller said.
The State Department cannot provide free seats to American citizens on planes under federal law, NBC News reported.
The U.S. is also giving loans to Americans wishing to remain in Lebanon, but are hoping to relocate to a safer area. Details on the loans have not been provided so far.
“We are working 24/7 to help provide U.S. citizens in Lebanon with as many options as possible to depart,” Miller said. “We know that not all of them, of them wish to leave, but our goal is to provide as many options as we can to make sure all of them are safe.”
Related Story: State Department Urges Americans to Flee Lebanon as Unrest Over Hezbollah Spreads Across Mideast
