The U.S. is sending a small number of additional troops to the Middle East in response to a sharp spike in violence between Israel and Hezbollah forces in Lebanon that has raised the risk of a greater regional war, the Pentagon said Monday.
Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, Pentagon press secretary, would not say how many more forces would be deployed or what they would be tasked to do.
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The State Department is warning Americans to leave Lebanon as the risk of a regional war increases.
“Due to the unpredictable nature of ongoing conflict between Hezbollah and Israel and recent explosions throughout Lebanon, including Beirut, the U.S. Embassy urges U.S. citizens to depart Lebanon while commercial options still remain available,” the State Department cautioned Saturday.
Ryder would not say if the additional forces might support the evacuation of American citizens if needed.
I hope they are drafting contingency plans to evacuate people, because doing it on the fly is a heavy lift.
I'm not sure why we even have an embassy there. It's not as if there's a legitimate government running it.
ReplyDeleteIt gives the CIA a place to work out of.
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