US shields Lebanese citizens from deportation amid Israel’s war

Around 11,000 Lebanese nationals successful the US tin enactment for 18 months and record for enactment permits nether caller status.

The United States is granting impermanent migration protections for thousands of Lebanese nationals arsenic Israel continues a devastating month-long assault connected their location country.

The protections see offering Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for eligible Lebanese nationals who arrived successful the US earlier October 16, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced connected Thursday.

With TPS, Lebanese citizens tin enactment successful the US for 18 months and record for enactment permits owed to the “ongoing equipped struggle and bonzer and impermanent conditions successful Lebanon”, DHS said successful a statement.

The caller measures are expected to screen immoderate 11,000 Lebanese nationals presently successful the US, according to the department.

The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) welcomed the “important measures” to support Lebanese citizens retired of an progressive warfare portion but called connected the US to halt arming Israel with the precise weapons being utilized against Lebanon.

“It is not mislaid connected america that these nationals are successful this presumption to statesman with due to the fact that of US overseas policy,” ADC enforcement manager Abed Ayoub said successful a statement.

“It is unfathomable that the Biden-Harris Administration continues to supply the weapons, subject support, and diplomatic screen for Israel to proceed its genocidal march into Lebanon.”

The US offers TPS to visitors and impermanent residents from countries that Washington deems unsafe for radical to instrumentality to.

The medication of US President Joe Biden has suggested that it opposes an contiguous ceasefire successful Lebanon. It argues that Washington supports the Israeli run to degrade Hezbollah portion the radical is “on the backmost foot” aft the assassination of respective of its leaders.

But the DHS connection connected Thursday cited US diplomatic efforts to extremity the conflict.

“Those approved for TPS volition beryllium capable to stay successful the state portion the United States is successful discussions to execute a diplomatic solution for lasting stableness and information crossed the Israel-Lebanon border,” DHS said.

Turning Lebanese villages ‘unlivable’

Israel launched an intensified aerial run connected its neighbour Lebanon connected September 23, claiming to people Hezbollah fighters successful the country. Since then, Israeli attacks person killed astatine slightest 1,356 people, hundreds of them women and children, portion displacing much than 1.2 cardinal people.

At slightest 1 of the radical killed successful Israel’s attacks was a US national – longtime Michigan nonmigratory Kamel Jawad.

The US – which has sent Israel at slightest $17.9bn successful subject aid successful the past year, according to a caller study – has expressed interest implicit the broadening “scope” of Israel’s bombing run successful Lebanon’s superior Beirut, but said it continues to backmost Israel’s efforts “to instrumentality connected Hezbollah”.

When asked astir the Israeli forces’ bombardment of the confederate Lebanese colony of Mhaibib Wednesday, which wiped retired an full neighbourhood, US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said astatine a property briefing: “I cannot talk to what their intent was oregon what they were trying to accomplish.”

When pressed connected the standard of the attack, Miller added: “I don’t cognize what was successful those buildings. I don’t cognize what was perchance underneath those buildings. That’s wherefore I said I can’t talk to what they were trying to accomplish”.

Al Jazeera’s Ali Hashem, reporting from Beirut, said the Mhaibib attack was portion of Israel’s strategy to render Lebanon’s borderline villages “unlivable” truthful evacuated residents volition not beryllium capable to return, adjacent successful the lawsuit of a imaginable settlement.