By THE MEDIA LINE STAFF,
The United States is developing contingency plans to evacuate Americans from the Middle East if the Israel-Hamas war spreads into a broader regional conflict, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Tuesday.
Kirby said that while there are currently no “active efforts” to evacuate Americans apart from the charter flights the US began operating earlier this month out of Israel, “prudent contingency planning” is underway to evacuate more if the conflict grows.
“It would be imprudent and irresponsible if we didn’t have folks thinking through a broad range of contingencies and possibilities,” Kirby said. “And certainly evacuations are one of those things.”
US President Joe Biden has warned other countries not to “take advantage” of the Israel-Hamas conflict. However, Iran has issued threats and Iranian proxy in Lebanon Hizbullah has fired rockets and attempted several incursions into Israel.
Pentagon Press Secretary Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said the US is preparing for an increase in violence against US forces and facilities across the region, noting that there have already been at least 13 attacks against US troops and installations in Iraq and Syria since the current Israel-Hamas conflict began.
“What we are seeing is the prospect for more significant escalation against US forces and personnel across the region in the very near term coming from Iranian proxy forces and ultimately from Iran,” Ryder said.
He said the US would not hesitate to take action if needed to protect its forces and interests in the region.
Ryder said several new protection measures are now underway, including air defense systems. He said a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense battery and additional Patriot missile battalions have begun to move to undisclosed locations in the Middle East. He also said the New Jersey Air National Guard’s 119 Expeditionary Fighter Squadron, with F-16 fighter jets, arrived Tuesday, but officials would not say where it would be.
