US reportedly preparing for Israel, Lebanon evacuations

The US is reportedly preparing to evacuate citizens from Lebanon and Israel.

Numerous US Air Force transport aircraft were spotted at the military part of Chania Airport on the Greek island of Crete on Thursday, according to the Athens-based newspaper Kathimerini.

The newspaper also published a photo of the airport showing US aircraft such as C-130, C-17 and KC-135 aerial refuelling tankers.

The Souda Naval Base and its airport is one of the most important US bases in the eastern Mediterranean. The US naval base and airport are located a few kilometres east of the port city of Chania.

Greece and the United States have significantly expanded their cooperation in recent years. The Greek government already announced on Tuesday that the US can use the Greek military airport of Eleusis, also known as Elefsina, in the west of the Greek capital for their transport aircraft.

The US State Department estimates that approximately 600,000 US citizens were in Israel, with an additional 86,000 believed to be in Lebanon, on October 7 when Hamas terrorists attacked Israel.

White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby denied there were currently “active efforts” to evacuate US citizens from the region beyond charter flights on Tuesday.

Separately on Thursday, the US Department of Defence said it was deploying about 900 soldiers to the Middle East to bolster the protection of their troops against the backdrop of the conflict in Gaza citing “regional deterrence efforts.”

“I can confirm that since our initial force posture announcement, approximately 900 troops have subsequently deployed or are in the process of deploying to the US Central Command Area of Responsibility,” Pentagon spokesman Pat Ryder said, adding that some of them are being transferred from US missile battery units.

Ryder would not comment on where the troops would be deployed, other than to say “these forces… are not going to Israel” but rather “are intended to support regional deterrence efforts and further bolster US force protection capabilities.”

The US had previously sent weapons systems, two aircraft carriers and their strike groups to the Eastern Mediterranean to strengthen its posture in the region.