Bryan Stern, président et fondateur de Grey Bull Rescue Foundation. Photo fournie par l’ONG
As the security situation in Lebanon worsens and several airlines suspend their services to Beirut, visitors who came for the summer are struggling to leave. In response, the Grey Bull Rescue Foundation is actively deployed in Lebanon to evacuate American citizens and U.S. permanent residents.
"We arrived about a month ago to prepare a deployment, and we've been back for several days actively offering our services to those in need," Bryan Stern, president and founder of the organization, told L’Orient-Le Jour. Registered as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, it is entirely funded by donors. It works in partnership with Vanguard Global Solution (VGS), a private security company operating in Lebanon since 2019. The NGO has a dedicated portal on its website.
The former U.S. military officer clarified that Grey Bull Rescue Foundation does not have a contract with the U.S. administration, does not charge evacuees for its services, and is mainly funded by individual donations in the U.S.
"We are apolitical, and our funding comes from people on both the Republican and Democratic sides, of all origins, religions, and orientations," Bryan Stern assured.
A source at the U.S. Embassy in Beirut confirmed that Grey Bull Rescue Foundation is "one of the options" available for American citizens in Lebanon to "choose" for evacuation, but encouraged them to make their own plans, especially since commercial flights are still available. The source emphasized that the foundation is a "private entity not affiliated with the U.S. Embassy." The embassy had issued a new advisory to its citizens in Lebanon last Saturday, urging them to take any available flights out of Beirut.
Armed Conflicts and Natural Disasters
The NGO was launched in 2021 but only adopted its current name and form a few months ago. It claims to have already carried out evacuation operations in several conflict zones, including Ukraine and Russia, Sudan, Israel and Gaza. It also reports rescuing American citizens in areas affected by natural disasters within the United States. The NGO has been present in the Middle East since Oct. 8, 2023, according to its president.
“We intervene where the U.S. administration is unable to mobilize resources to evacuate its citizens, whether for political or logistical reasons. For example, take the case of an American citizen who could be evacuated by the embassy but is unable to physically reach it due to the security situation. It’s in such scenarios that we can play a role,” Bryan Stern explains.
He estimates the number of American citizens living in Lebanon, including dual nationals, to be 58,000. “A large majority will evacuate the country via commercial flights. Others know people or have family or can leave the country by boat. We offer an alternative for everyone else.” In a 2022 public report, the U.S. Department of State estimated the number of Americans residing in the country at 86,000.
Bryan Stern did not provide details on his mobilized teams but assured that the NGO had enough planes and ships to evacuate a large number of people. He recommends that eligible individuals evacuate the country as soon as possible, given the uncertainties of the situation. “But we won’t refuse our services to someone who decides to stay and changes their mind if the situation worsens,” he specifies.
Finally, the NGO president expressed uncertainty about the future, which has seen rapid developments in the past ten days. “All I can say is that I hope we won’t be needed,” he concludes.
This article originally appeared in French in L'Orient-Le Jour.
