(NewsNation) — The U.S. will be conducting sea evacuations for American citizens and their families trapped in Israel starting Monday, the U.S. Embassy in Israel announced.
Passengers will be taken from the Israeli city of Haifa to Cyprus, an island country to the north. U.S. nationals hoping to be evacuated must arrive at the port by their own means with a valid travel document. The boat will board passengers on a first-come, first-served basis.
Travelers are required to be a U.S. national or the immediate family member of a U.S. national and have a valid passport. Immediate family members who are not U.S. citizens must be eligible for entry into Cyprus. Eligibility requirements can be found here.
Besides this sea evacuation, the State Department has also begun sending charted flights to evacuate Americans stuck in Israel. The first chartered plane landed in Athens, Greece, Friday and is expected to arrive in New York City next.
According to the latest from the State Department, flight departures out of Israel’s Ben Gurion airport will continue on a rolling basis on Monday, Oct. 16 and Tuesday, Oct. 17.
U.S. citizens needing assistance leaving Israel are urged to complete a form at the State Department website.
On Saturday, the Pentagon announced it will deploy a second aircraft carrier called the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower carrier strike group to the Eastern Mediterranean.
“The increases to U.S. force posture signals the United States’ ironclad commitment to Israel’s security and our resolve to deter any state or non-state actor seeking to escalate this war,” said Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin in a statement.
This is part of the American government’s effort to deter regional actors, including Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Syrian government and Iran from interfering in the conflict and to allow Israel to proceed with its offensive.
