‘As if we don’t exist’: Under bombs in Lebanon, Americans feel abandoned
Al Jazeera
Critics say the US rushed to evacuate its citizens in Israel last year. For Lebanon, the response has been much slower.
Washington, DC – Karam, an American citizen stranded in Lebanon, says she feels as if she does not matter to the United States government.
For much of the past year, Lebanon has faced relentless Israeli bombardment — part of a US-backed campaign that has killed hundreds and displaced more than a million people, according to the United Nations.
In recent days, however, the conflict has escalated, as the Israeli military launched a ground invasion in southern Lebanon.
On Monday, Karam called the US embassy in Beirut for help fleeing the violence. But she said she was told to find a way out of the country by herself.
Karam, who chose to be identified by her nickname out of fear of retaliation, drew a contrast with how the US State Department swiftly chartered special flights and a ship to evacuate American citizens in Israel after Hamas’s October 7 attack last year.
