Fears are growing of a widening war in the Middle East

Transcript

: [POST-BROADCAST CORRECTION: In a previous version of this story, we incorrectly said that Bryan Stern is a former Navy SEAL. He is actually an Army veteran and Navy Reserve officer. Several members of his team are U.S. Navy SEALs.]

A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:

A top U.S. general arrives in Israel today in the midst of frantic efforts to prevent a wider war in the Middle East. And later this morning, President Biden is due to speak to the king of Jordan.

LEILA FADEL, HOST:

Jordan has ties to both Iran and the U.S. and sent its foreign minister on a rare visit to Tehran on Sunday. Iran and the Iran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah are expected to launch a major attack on Israel in retaliation for two assassinations of senior leaders of militant groups last week in the hearts of Beirut and Tehran. That will likely trigger a blistering response in turn from Israel. The U.S. Embassy has warned citizens to either leave Lebanon immediately or be prepared to shelter in place.

MARTÍNEZ: NPR's Jane Arraf is in Lebanon, joins us from Beirut. Jane, Lebanon has gone through wars and other disasters. Tell us what's happening. I mean, is there a sense of panic there?

JANE ARRAF, BYLINE: Yeah, there's definitely apprehension but no panic, really? The health ministry says it has an emergency plan. There aren't really any bunkers here, so people will basically have to fend for themselves. And, of course, some Lebanese, including American and other citizens, are heeding their embassy's advice to leave. I was at the Beirut airport yesterday after European carriers canceled their flights in and out.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: Please, our passengers that will be boarding to Gate No. 17.

ARRAF: It was relatively crowded but calm. The Lebanese flag carrier is still flying to Europe and across the region. But with European carriers canceling their flights due to insurance issues, tickets are hard to find. I spoke with Mohammad Dawli, a Lebanese Ukrainian living in the U.K. He was at the Middle East Airlines office trying to rebook a ticket to get back to work after his connecting flight was canceled.

MOHAMMAD DAWLI: I was on vacation. I mean, now I'm supposed to go. They changed the date. They changed the time. It's - so I'll miss the next flight. There's not - they said three days.

ARRAF: Another passenger, Christian missionary Winnie Oh from South Korea, was leaving with his family for Egypt to wait things out after warnings that war could be imminent.

WINNIE OH: Actually, our embassy there warning us to go out this country. So, you know, we are worried about that.

ARRAF: Lebanon is a small country, but because of successive wars and economic crisis, more Lebanese actually live abroad than at home. In Lebanon, there are almost 90,000 U.S. passport holders. And the consistent message from the U.S. and other embassies is, don't count on us to evacuate you.

MARTÍNEZ: Wow. So the U.S. government says it may not be able to get all U.S. citizens out. Are there any other groups, Jane, trying to make that happen?

ARRAF: There are. I spoke to Bryan Stern, who's the founder of the Gray Bull Rescue Foundation, a U.S. nonprofit organization. He says his previous outfit, Project DYNAMO, rescued Americans from Israel after Hamas attacked last October, chartering a plane to fly them home when commercial flights were canceled.

BRYAN STERN: Usually, what happens is the airspace closes, and everything goes bananas right around then. Well, you've seen that time and time again.

ARRAF: He says they've evacuated 7,000 Americans around the world, including by air, from Afghanistan, Sudan and Haiti. He says, this time, his outfit is also lining up a sea route.

MARTÍNEZ: OK. Now - and the head of U.S. Central Command is due to arrive in Israel today. What's his role going to be?

ARRAF: General Michael Kurilla is due to help coordinate defenses across the region if an Iranian attack is launched. Last time Iran launched rockets and drones - hundreds of them at Israel in April - U.S. war planes and missile batteries played a crucial role in shooting down those projectiles. That operation also included Britain, France and Jordan.

MARTÍNEZ: All right. That's NPR's Jane Arraf in Jordan. Jane, thank you.

ARRAF: Thank you. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.