White House National Security spokesperson John Kirby stated today, Thursday, that Washington is closely monitoring Hezbollah and does not wish for the conflict to widen. He said, "We are focused on ensuring the precision of intelligence-sharing with the Israelis." He confirmed that "the U.S. has experts in Israel to advise on the recovery of hostages," while also noting, "We have not ruled out any options regarding the hostages held by Hamas."
The White House also revealed today that 27 Americans were killed in the Hamas attack, with 14 still missing. Kirby announced the start of charter flights from Israel to Europe beginning tomorrow, Friday. He added in a press conference that the United States will arrange charter flights to Europe starting tomorrow for Americans wishing to leave Israel, and that discussions are ongoing with Israel about the need for humanitarian aid to flow into Gaza.
He explained that Biden met with the National Security team to discuss measures to protect Jews, Arabs, and Muslims in the United States following the Hamas attack in Israel, as well as to review the steps being taken for protection in the U.S. amid the conflict between Israel and Hamas. In response to a question, Kirby remarked, "There is no specific evidence of Iran's involvement in the attack on Israel, but they are generally complicit, and we are constantly reviewing sanctions on Iran."
