US President Joe Biden will sign an order Friday allowing Lebanese nationals in the United States to remain in the country for some time to protect them from deportation, sources familiar with the decision said.

The country has seen months of cross-border clashes between Hezbollah and Israel following the Oct. 7 Hamas attack.

However, US government officials and sources familiar with Biden’s anticipated decision to sign a Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) order for Lebanese nationals has been in the works for months and does not imply that Washington fears an imminent all-out war along the Lebanon-Israel border.

The DED differs from Temporary Protected Status (TPS) in that the latter is a designation made by the Secretary of Homeland Security. The president authorizes DED designations.

Biden’s designation will impact some 12,000 people from Lebanon, including around 1,700 students learning in the United States, and allow eligible Lebanese nationals to apply for work authorization. He is expected to grant those eligible an extra 18 months to remain in the country.

A pattern of continued escalation has increased the prospect of an expanded conflict between Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hezbollah and Israel, which relies heavily on US weapons.

Israeli officials have threatened a military operation inside of Lebanon to push back Hezbollah fighters and capabilities despite comments that Israel prefers a diplomatic solution. Hezbollah, which initiated the first attack in October in what it said was support for Gaza, has said it does not want a war but is prepared for one.

Any potential new Lebanon-Israel war would have devastating impacts on both sides. US officials believe Lebanon would suffer massive numbers of civilian casualties and the destruction of a majority of the country’s infrastructure.

Israel would also endure heavy numbers of deaths, both civilian and military, while electricity plants and other basic infrastructure could be severely damaged or destroyed in parts of the country.

Progress on a ceasefire in Gaza could have a positive impact on deescalating tensions along the UN-demarcated Blue Line between Lebanon and Israel. A senior administration official told reporters this week that talks on a Gaza ceasefire were in their “closing stages” and expected “lots of activity” on that front over the next week.