US organizing flights out of Lebanon, offering loans for tickets

The U.S. is organizing flights out of Lebanon to help evacuate its citizens and offering loans for those who cannot purchase flight tickets. 

So far, around 250 Americans and their family members have departed Lebanon this week on two flights organized by the U.S., State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters during a briefing Thursday. 

Miller said that both flights went to Istanbul, Turkey. The second flight, which departed Beirut on Thursday morning, had 134 passengers onboard, according to Miller. 

“So what we have tried to do is be responsive to the situation as it changes,” Miller said Thursday. “So when there were ample commercial flights available, we were urging American citizens to take them.” 

“When the number of commercial flights shrunk, we first worked with the remaining carrier to make seats available, and when we found that there were still more American citizens that wanted to leave, we organized our own flights,” he continued. “And we’ll continue to do everything that we can to help American citizens who want to leave.” 

The U.S. Embassy in Beirut encouraged Americans to leave the country in late September, shortly following the wave of pager attacks targeting Hezbollah’s militant members that killed dozens and wounded thousands. 

The U.S. has worked with Middle East Airlines, the only remaining commercial carrier flying out of Lebanon, according to Miller, to secure seats on flights for Americans in the country. 

“In the past week, we have made over 1400 seats available on flights out of Lebanon, and many seats do remain available,” Miller said. 

Miller said that if flight ticket prices are too high, Americans can get a loan from the U.S. government. 

“And while the cost varies on the flights that we have organized, the most that any American will pay for a seat on those flights is $283, and if they can’t afford $283, if they don’t have $283, we will provide them a loan from the U.S. government for the cost of that ticket on board,” he said Thursday.