The first charter flight that the US State Department organized to get its citizens out of Israel has departed, the White House confirmed Friday.
The flight “is en route right now into Europe,” National Security Council coordinator for strategic communications John Kirby told reporters.
He declined to provide an exact destination for the flight.
Additional flights will be “departing in the coming days,” he added, saying the State Department will organize charter flights “for as long as there is a demand from US citizens for departure assistance.” The US is offering the arrangements for US citizens and their immediate family members who have been unable to book commercial tickets, he said.
More on the US effort to get citizens out of Israel: Beyond air transportation, the US is also looking for ways to “expand capacity” via transportation by sea.
“We began offering departure assistance to U.S. citizens who have completed our crisis intake form beginning on Friday, October 13, but it will take some time to schedule everyone seeking to depart,” the US Embassy in Israel said in a security alert on Friday.
“Chartered transportation will be to nearby safe locations, not back to the United States. You will not be able to choose your destination or mode of transportation – we will assign you to the next available departure,” the alert states.
It’s unclear so far, what specific assets will be used to transport citizens by sea, and Americans who take advantage of the US government transportation “will be asked to sign an agreement to repay the U.S. government prior to departure,” the alert said.
The Biden administration said once the travelers get from Israel to Europe – on Israeli, Turkish and other regional airlines – they’ll be ferried home by US-based and other carriers.
Worried about safety, United, American and Delta airlines all ceased operations to and from Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv, Israel’s lone international airport, earlier this week.
Some US citizens have been successful departing Israel into Jordan through the border crossings, including Allenby Bridge, the alert said.
As for citizens in Gaza, US officials are working on “potential options for departure,” according to the alert, but further details were not available.
