The official told reporters on the grounds of anonymity since the issue under discussion was top-secret diplomacy of the US, and many other countries stressed that both Israel and Hezbollah have been having a desire for an “out-of-war plan.”

The official could not elaborate on the “concrete ideas” because, he explained, for what he referred to as a general test of feasibility as to how likely the ideas are to succeed, they haven’t discussed those with allies and partners. For this reason, the State Department has urged American citizens to leave Lebanon because the risk of a regional war is escalating.

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“Because of ongoing Hezbollah-Israel violence and frequent explosions in Lebanon, including the capital city of Beirut, in the past weeks—minutes that will be scarce and commercial options fewer soon—the U.S. Embassy advises U.S. citizens to leave Lebanon,” the State Department warned on Saturday.

Ryder wouldn’t specify whether these extra forces might be used to evacuate Americans if necessary. Washington decided that the U.S. may keep the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln in the Middle East or send it to Asia-Pacific next, probably within the week.

The United States has not had two carrier strike groups in the Middle East at the same time very often in the last few years. But as fighting between Israel and Iran-backed militants in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon has intensified in recent weeks, the Biden administration has directed the Navy to overlap the carriers and their strike groups for several weeks on at least a couple of occasions.