Israel-Gaza-Lebanon updates: IDF orders evacuations in Beirut as huge blast hits city

The United States arranged a charter to carry 100 American citizens and their family members out of Lebanon on Wednesday, according to State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller.

The flight marked the first U.S. government-organized charter from the country since Hezbollah and Israel began trading rocket fire almost a year ago.

The flight, which had capacity for 300 people, departed Beirut for Istanbul, Turkey, several hours ago, Miller said during a press briefing Wednesday afternoon.

"We do hope to organize additional flights in the coming days, depending on demand," Miller said.

There are 7,000 people in contact with the U.S. Embassy in Beirut, according to Miller. Not all are asking for assistance, but "some of those, I presume, will eventually look to depart Lebanon," Miller said.

Middle East Airlines is the only commercial carrier currently flying out of Lebanon.

-ABC News' Shannon K. Kingston

President Joe Biden said he and other G7 leaders will sanction Iran in response to its attack on Israel.

"We're making it clear that there are things that have to be done," he told reporters after departing Joint Base Andrews Wednesday afternoon.

Biden said he called the G7 meeting. He spoke with other G7 leaders earlier Wednesday to coordinate a response to the attack, the White House said.

Asked whether he'd support an attack on Iranian nuclear strikes, Biden said no, and that he and the other G7 leaders agree that Israel has a "right to respond, but they should respond in proportion."

Biden said that he would speak with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "relatively soon."

-ABC News' Michelle Stoddart

With President Joe Biden entering the last few months of his presidency, his personal influence with Israel has "diminished" and its leaders are less likely to take his advice, according to experts at the Council on Foreign Relations.

Elliott Abrams, a senior fellow for Middle Eastern studies at the think tank and former deputy national security adviser in the George W. Bush administration, said during a briefing Wednesday that Israel thought Biden's advice to "take the win" after defeating Iran's April attack was “bad advice."

"They've reached the conclusion -- and this is not just [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu, I think it's Israel -- that this is bad advice, that they’re in an existential conflict and they need to show victory," Abrams said.

Steven Cook, a senior fellow for Middle Eastern studies at CFR, said the Israelis are determined to "change the rules of the game."

"They would not return to a situation in which they had to live under the threat of Hamas and now, obviously, also Hezbollah," Cook said.

Abrams said he thinks "nothing" is off the list for Israel's possible targets in Iran as it vows a response to Tuesday's missile attack.

For the past year, Biden has been warning against a wider war and escalation.

-ABC News' Selina Wang

The European Commission and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency issued a bulletin Wednesday warning flight operators not to fly in Iran's airspace through Oct. 31.

The agency said there is "high risk" in the airspace due to the Iranian attack against Israel and Israel's plans to retaliate.

Iran's Civil Aviation Organization has canceled all flights across Iran through 5 a.m. local time Thursday, a spokesperson said Wednesday.

-ABC News' Clara McMichael and Hami Hamedi