OAN’s James Meyers
3:34 PM – Monday, October 16, 2023
An airlift operation headed by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis reportedly helped airlift 300 Americans out of war-torn Israel on Sunday night.
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DeSantis (R-Fla.) and his wife Casey DeSantis welcomed hundreds of Americans home from Tel Aviv, Israel, after being stuck in the country for several days due to the ongoing conflict.
“Once the plane landed in Tampa, evacuees were able to access resources from multiple state agencies. Additionally, the governor is sending medical supplies, hygiene products, clothing and children’s toys to Israel to help impacted Israelis,” the news release said.
In a video posted on social media, DeSantis said, “We’re here at Tampa airport. We are having our first flight of people being rescued from Israel and it’s landed. Over 260 people that wanted to get back to the United States and couldn’t do it … so we stepped up and led. We’re happy to be able to deliver this.”
Last week, DeSantis signed an executive order authorizing Florida to conduct rescue and evacuation operations in Israel following Hamas’ deadly attacks, which killed at least 20 Americans.
In the executive order, DeSantis took a shot at President Joe Biden for his foreign policy response.
“The Biden administration has failed to launch any form of rescue or evacuation operations for Americans, including Floridians, stranded in the region, and has failed to provide information requested by the State of Florida about any plans for such operations,” DeSantis asserted.
Additionally, the Florida Division of Emergency Management posted on X (Twitter), saying that it would help pick up the slack from the Biden Administration’s blunders.
“If you are stranded in Athens and in need of safe transportation back to the United States, we may be able to assist you,” it posted. “Please complete our form at http://FloridaDisaster.org/Israel and share it with anyone who may need assistance.”
The administration announced on Monday that the U.S. has at least 2,000 troops on standby waiting to be deployed in order to assist Israel.
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By: OAN
