USA, plans for the evacuation of Americans in case of expansion of the war between Israel and Hamas

2023-10-25 07:16:31, Kosova & Bota CNA

USA, plans for the evacuation of Americans in case of expansion of the war

The White House said Tuesday it was drawing up a cautious contingency plan for evacuating Americans from the Middle East if the war between Israel and Hamas escalates into a major regional conflict.

White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby stressed that there are currently no "active efforts" to evacuate Americans from the region other than the flights from Israel that the US government launched earlier this month.

USA, plans for the evacuation of Americans in case of expansion of the war

"It would be careless and irresponsible if we didn't have people thinking about a wide range of contingencies and possibilities," Mr Kirby said. "Of course evacuations are one of those things."

The White House spoke of contingency plans amid growing concerns that the 18-day Israel-Hamas war could escalate further.

Washington has advised Israel that delaying a possible ground invasion of Gaza could be useful as the US and other partners in the region try to secure the release of more than 200 hostages taken by Hamas in the October 7 attack. The plan in question was first reported by the newspaper "The Washington Post".

President Joe Biden and Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman spoke on the phone Tuesday about the worsening situation. This was the first conversation between the two leaders since Hamas attacked Israel. They discussed "efforts to deter state and non-state actors from escalating the conflict between Israel and Hamas," the White House said.

Officials in President Biden's administration have repeatedly warned Iran not to get involved in the conflict.

In recent days, US forces in the region have faced repeated attacks, which the Pentagon has said are likely supported by Iran, which is the main sponsor of Hamas, the militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon, and militant groups in Iraq and Yemen.

"The two leaders agreed to broader diplomatic efforts to maintain stability throughout the region and prevent the conflict from expanding," the White House added.

At the Pentagon, General Pat Ryder said the US is preparing for increased violence, noting that there have already been at least 13 attacks against troops and installations in Iraq and Syria.

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"What we are seeing is the prospect of a larger escalation against American forces and personnel throughout the region in the very near term coming from forces serving Iran," Pentagon spokesman General Pat Ryder said.

He added that the US will not hesitate to take action if necessary to protect its forces and interests in the region.

Mr. Biden said last week that he believed Hamas was motivated to attack Israel in part by a desire to prevent that country from normalizing relations with Saudi Arabia.

"One of the reasons why Hamas acted against Israel is because they knew I was going to talk to the Saudis," Mr. Biden said during a presidential campaign meeting.

The US president said he believes Hamas militants launched their deadly attack on October 7 because "the Saudis wanted to recognize Israel" and were ready to do so officially.

A deal, which the White House says it is pushing for, would be a diplomatic achievement that would allow for greater recognition of Israel by other Arab and Muslim-majority countries that have largely opposed Israel since its creation. his 75 years ago in a territory long inhabited by Palestinians.

But the talks broke down after Hamas militants attacked an Israeli town near the Gaza Strip. Israel responded by encircling Gaza. Meanwhile, Mr. Biden told reporters in Washington on Tuesday that humanitarian aid in the besieged territory was not arriving at the right speed./ VOA