As for the large number of "citizens" in Beirut, the blame again lays at the feet of the State Dept., which has granted dual citizenship to thousands of Lebanese, many of whom are Hizbollah sympathizers.
I can see leaving those with Lebanese citizenship on their own to get out.
Canada has it worse; they estimate 40,000 "citizens" with Canadian passports. The number registered at their embassy has doubled from 10,000 to 20,000 in the past week.
How about getting out non-residents out first, then worry about the "dual-citizen" problem.
Well, so much for my backup plan when abroad, which has always been to yell "Ou est l'embassie Canadien?" I figured once I was safe at the Canadian embassy we could work something out. Sounds like they're in worse shape than the US in this instance.
My impression, not based on any inside info, is that Western governments are in a dicey position. They can't tell their civilians where to assemble for evac without also telling Hizbollah where a big, fat target will be at a given time. That could broaden the war, which is exactly what HB and their Iranian and Syrian sponsors are looking for. So they can't arrange for transport until they have enough assets in place to provide airtight cover.
You in Post 23. ...the blame again lays at the feet of the State Dept...
Here's hoping you are out soon.
Great point. I heard an interview with an American woman, yet when she spoke, she referred to the US in a strangely detached manner (I'm not describing it well, but there was something strange about how she referred to it). She was in a supposed Hizbullah stronghold. I wonder about people like her. There are millions of Americans overseas who are good & loyal citizens. I too doubt the 25,000 figure. I heard someone today say it was 4-5000 who would probably want to leave.
A citizen is a citizen. Resident, or non resident, he has a right to be repatriated, eh?