Homeland Security offers temporary protection for Lebanese nationals in US due to armed conflict in Lebanon

By Servet Gunerigok

WASHINGTON (AA) - The US is offering a temporary immigration reprieve to Lebanese nationals currently in the country due to the armed conflict in Lebanon, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said on Thursday.

"After consultation with interagency partners, Secretary (Alejandro) Mayorkas is announcing a new (Temporary Protected Status) TPS designation for Lebanon for 18 months due to ongoing armed conflict and extraordinary and temporary conditions in Lebanon that prevent nationals of Lebanon from returning in safety," the department said in a release.

“Those approved for TPS will be able to remain in the country while the United States is in discussions to achieve a diplomatic resolution for lasting stability and security across the Israel-Lebanon border,” it added.

Lebanese nationals who entered the US after Oct. 16, 2024 will not be eligible for TPS. Nearly 11,000 Lebanese nationals will likely be eligible for the announced actions.

Israel has mounted a huge air campaign in Lebanon against what it claims are Hezbollah targets since Sept. 23, killing more than 1,500 people and displacing more than 1 million.

The aerial campaign is an escalation from a year of cross-border warfare between Israel and Hezbollah since the start of its offensive on the Gaza Strip, in which Israel has killed nearly 42,400 people, most of them women and children, since a Hamas attack last year.

Israel expanded the conflict on Oct. 1 by launching an incursion into southern Lebanon, ignoring warnings that this could escalate the war into a regional conflict.