Given the security situation and the concern about regional escalation, the U.S. government is preparing for the possibility of evacuating around 600,000 American citizens if the situation worsens. This was reported by The Washington Post on Monday night.
According to the report, the U.S. is preparing plans for the evacuation of hundreds of thousands of Americans, including those in Israel and Lebanon, due to the escalating situation. Despite the preparations, officials in Washington acknowledge that this is an extremely extreme scenario.
The reports come in light of the escalation in the northern sector against Hezbollah. An official in the U.S. government said that in Washington, they are concerned that the situation will get out of control. The government's concern stems from the protests in the Arab streets, which could jeopardize the safety of American citizens.
Bruce Riedel, a fellow at the Brookings Institution and a former senior official in the Clinton administration, explained that "we were told in the last ten years that the Arab and Muslim worlds no longer care about Palestine, and the Abraham Accords proved that. So, Palestine is back. I don't think it's ever gone away."