US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin asked Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant to take steps to ensure that the IDF does not harm American citizens in Lebanon while the US carries out an evacuation operation, senior Israeli officials and an American official told Walla on Monday.
There are thousands of American citizens in Lebanon, and a further escalation of the situation towards an all-out war could lead to an American decision to evacuate.
The US military last carried out such an operation during the Second Lebanon War in 2006.
Senior American officials said that the Pentagon has been updating its evacuation plans for American citizens in Lebanon in recent days.
On Saturday night, Austin spoke on the phone with Gallant and raised the possibility that the US would act to evacuate its citizens from Lebanon if further escalation occurred.
Coordinate with the US
Austin asked Gallant to make sure that there is a coordinated effort to make sure that the IDF does not harm American citizens who are evacuating or the US military forces that will participate in such an evacuation, senior Israeli and American officials said."Defense Secretary Austin emphasized to Gallant his concern for the safety and security of US citizens in the region," Pentagon spokesman Maj.-Gen. Patrick Ryder said.
A senior American emphasized that although no decision was made to start an operation to evacuate Americans in Lebanon.
According to him, in recent days, military officials from Israel and the US have discussed concerns, and their Israeli counterparts have made it clear that they take the American concerns seriously.The Pentagon said on Monday that the US military is sending a small reinforcement of forces to the Middle East "in light of the growing tensions in the region and for security."