Americans are stranded in the Middle East
The US State Department is looking for ways to help Americans evacuate the Middle East. According to the ministry, more than 9,000 Americans have returned safely from the region in recent days. Of those 9,000, only 300 are from Israel.
Iran and its proxy terrorist militias have made targeted threats against universities in Lebanon, and the State Department has warned Americans to leave now while commercial flights are still available, US officials said.
Officials said Iran has “specifically threatened” American universities in the Middle East.
The US Embassy in Beirut described the security situation in Lebanon as “volatile and unpredictable.”
“Airstrikes, drones and missile attacks are occurring throughout the country, especially in the south, the Bekaa and parts of Beirut,” officials wrote in a security alert.
Smoke rises after an Israeli airstrike hit a building near the airport road in Beirut, Lebanon, on Tuesday. (Hussein Malla/AP)
STATE DEPARTMENT URGES AMERICANS TO LEAVE THE MIDDLE EAST AS AIRSPACE CLOSURES DISRUPT TRAVEL
The US Embassy in Beirut added that it strongly encourages US citizens in southern Lebanon, near the border with Syria, in refugee camps and in the southern suburbs of Beirut – including Dahiyeh – to leave those areas immediately.
“We encourage U.S. citizens in Lebanon who choose not to leave to prepare contingency plans for emergencies and be prepared to shelter in place if the situation continues to deteriorate,” the State Department said.
A man rides a scooter past a burned tree and charred debris after an Israeli attack in Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday. (Hassan Ammar/AP)
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Commercial flights are offered by Middle East Airlines, operating from Beirut Rafic Hariri Airport.
Officials said Americans should strongly consider taking off on one of the flights “if they believe it is safe to do so.”
The U.S. Embassy in Beirut provides limited passport services to U.S. citizens in emergencies.
An excavator clears rubble at the site of an Israeli attack on March 18 in the Zuqaq al-Blat district of central Beirut, Lebanon. (Khalil Ashawi/Reuters)
All routine consular services, including visa operations, have been suspended until further notice.
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Those with plans to travel to Lebanon should cancel them, officials said.
