Arizona Tribune - Grey Bull Rescue Deployed in Middle East for Operation: CHESS MASTER to Rescue & Evacuate Americans Trapped Throughout Region

TAMPA, FL / ACCESS Newswire / March 1, 2026 / Veteran-led nonprofit Grey Bull Rescue is boots-on-ground and deployed for Operation: CHESS MASTER , inserting teams of Operators and activating assets across the Middle East in response to the escalating Iranian conflict with thousands of Americans trapped throughout the region under the threat of Iranian ballistic missiles, drones and IRGC terror cells. The entire region is being held at risk. Rescue requests are pouring in from Americans and allied nationals across the region as commercial routes are shut down and exit options are complex and dangerous.

Grey Bull Rescue's elite team of U.S. Special Operations and Intelligence Community veterans is already in Israel, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and posted in surrounding countries with robust aviation, maritime, and ground mobility assets actively conducting rescue missions. As missile and drone strikes intensify and airspace closures ripple across multiple countries, the organization has secured rescue corridors and positioned assets to execute rapid, high-threat rescue operations.

Operation: CHESS MASTER is the result of years of sustained operational experience across the Middle East. Grey Bull Rescue has conducted hundreds of missions throughout the region - saving thousands of American lives - executing high-threat rescues in Israel, Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Egypt, Iran, Cyprus, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE. The team has operated under sustained rocket fire, missiles, drones, inside sealed-border environments, and in active combat zones where traditional evacuation options are collapsed and access disappeared.

This depth of experience includes Operation: PROMISED LAND in Israel, when Grey Bull rescued Americans following the October 2023 Hamas attacks; Operation: BOOMERANG, a covert hostage rescue of five American children kidnapped in Gaza; Operation: SAFE PASSAGE in Lebanon, an independent rescue conducted deep in Hezbollah territory and closed borders; and Operation: OLIVE SHIELD in Israel last year, during which more than 2,300 Americans were evacuated to safety during sustained Iran missile attacks using coordinated sea, land, and air routes.

Operation: CHESS MASTER builds on that operational muscle memory, regional access, trusted local networks, mobility under fire, tactical expertise, technical proficiency, and the ability to conduct operations when and where others cannot.

"We have operated here for many years. We know the human and physical terrain," said Bryan Stern, Chairman and Founder of Grey Bull Rescue. "We know how this region moves and reacts under pressure and how quickly it can change and how. Airports close. Borders seal. Communications fail. And when that happens, Americans can find themselves trapped without warning with no viable way out. Our Case Management team are fielding hundreds of rescue and evacuation requests that are pouring in from across the region - from families, business travelers, aid workers, students, and others - people who suddenly find themselves inside an active conflict zone with Iranian missiles and drones raining down. When others are first reacting, we are already on the ground and positioned. Our teams are in place, our assets are moving, we are conducting operations, and we will continue operating and saving lives at the SPEED OF NEED until our people are safe."

Grey Bull Rescue is entirely donor-funded and relies on private support to maintain aircraft access, fuel reserves, ground mobility, maritime assets, secure communications networks, intelligence capabilities, and specialized medical logistics necessary for high-threat rescue missions. As rescue requests continue to increase, operational tempo is accelerating.

Americans or allied nationals in need of assistance - or families seeking help for loved ones - are encouraged to register immediately at https://greybullrescue.org/request-help/

Those wishing to support Operation: CHESS MASTER and ongoing global rescue operations can donate at https://greybullrescue.org/pledge-your-support/

To learn more about Grey Bull Rescue and its work operating in conflict zones and disaster areas worldwide, visit GreyBullRescue.org .

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About Grey Bull Rescue:

Founded by Bryan Stern, Grey Bull Rescue is a veteran-led, 501(c)(3) nonprofit rescue organization headquartered in Tampa, Florida. The organization specializes in operating within "The Grey Space"-conflict zones and disaster areas where the U.S. Government may not be able to operate. Grey Bull Rescue has conducted daring rescues of Americans and allies from hostile regions including Afghanistan, Ukraine, Russia, Sudan, Haiti, Israel, Lebanon, Syria, Gaza, Jamaica, Venezuela and Mexico, including American hostages and victims of war crimes. The team also leads domestic response missions to natural disasters, such as the 2023 Maui wildfires, Los Angeles wildfires, and Hurricanes Ian, Idalia, Helene, Milton and Melissa. To date, the Grey Bull Rescue team has completed 804 rescue missions and saved the lives of over 8,400 men, women, children, and babies and even some pets.

Media Contact: Jennifer Vickery
Tel: 813.865.3093
Email: [email protected]
[email protected]

SOURCE: Grey Bull Rescue

View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire

P.A.Mendoza--AT