State Department to Americans in Lebanon: 'leave now'

The U.S. State Department on Friday issued a warning to Americans in Lebanon to leave the country ahead of possible escalations in the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict.

"The State Department recommends that U.S. citizens in Lebanon leave now, while commercial flights remain available, due to the unpredictable security situation," the advisory read. The agency further directed readers to a list of flight options ought of Beirut.

"You should have a plan of action for crisis situations that does not rely on U.S. government assistance. The best time to leave a country is before a crisis if at all possible," it continued. "U.S. military-assisted evacuations of civilians from a foreign country are rare. There is no guarantee the U.S. government will evacuate private U.S. citizens and their family members in a crisis situation."

"In the event that a U.S. military-assisted evacuation does occur, our focus will be on helping U.S. citizens," the department stated. "The U.S. government generally cannot provide in-country transportation during a crisis. That includes transportation to points of departure. You will not be able to bring pets with you on any U.S. military-assisted evacuation from Lebanon. You will have to sign a promissory note to reimburse the U.S. government for costs incurred in the case of an assisted evacuation."

The U.S. Embassy in Beirut remains open for now.

The advisory comes as Israel steps up its ground assaults on the Gaza Strip in preparation for a possible land invasion. The Israel Defense Forces have maintained a steady bombardment of the territory since an Oct. 7 Hamas raid. The bombardment has generated international outcry over the inflicting of civilian casualties and the United Nations General Assembly on Friday approved a resolution calling for a ceasefire.

Israel, for its part, conducted a major ground raid on Gaza on Friday, prompting speculation that a full-blown invasion may be imminent. Reporting has since emerged, however, suggesting that the Biden administration is privately urging Israel not to invade Gaza outright.

The conflict has already resulted in cross-border exchanges between Israel and Lebanon, which is home to the Iran-backed Hezbollah.

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter.