The United States Department of State authorized the departure of non-essential government personnel and their family members from its mission in Israel on Friday, citing safety risks amid escalating tensions with Iran. Ambassador Mike Huckabee followed up with an urgent email to embassy staff at 12:04 a.m. local time, telling those wishing to leave that they should do so immediately. According to the New York Times, Huckabee wrote that staff should focus on getting a seat on any available flight from Ben Gurion Airport, with the priority being to leave the country quickly before continuing onward to Washington.
The decision came after overnight consultations between Huckabee and the State Department and was described as being taken out of an abundance of caution. Huckabee told staff there was no need to panic but emphasized that those wanting to depart should act sooner rather than later. He also scheduled a town hall meeting at the embassy for 12:30 p.m. to provide further guidance. The State Department simultaneously issued a travel advisory urging all American citizens in Israel to consider leaving the country while commercial flights remain available.
The authorization comes against the backdrop of President Donald Trump's increasingly explicit threats of military action against Iran over its nuclear programme. The United States has undertaken its largest military buildup in the Middle East in decades, with the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford and its strike group arriving off the Israeli coast on Friday after transiting the Mediterranean. The Ford joins the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group already deployed in the region, along with scores of tactical fighter jets, F-35A stealth aircraft, F-15E strike fighters, surveillance planes and additional air defense systems.
Iran has warned that it would retaliate against American military bases in the region if attacked, raising fears that Israel could be drawn into a wider conflict. The two countries fought a 12-day war in June 2025, and a new confrontation between Washington and Tehran could trigger renewed hostilities. Three rounds of nuclear negotiations between the United States and Iran in Geneva have failed to produce a breakthrough, though both sides expressed cautious optimism that diplomacy could still avert a crisis.
Several other nations have taken similar precautionary measures. China advised its citizens to avoid travel to Iran and urged those already in the region to evacuate. Canada, Australia, Finland and Sweden also issued warnings to their nationals about deteriorating security conditions across the Middle East. Airlines have begun adjusting their operations, with KLM suspending its flights to Tel Aviv. The convergence of diplomatic evacuations and military deployments has heightened fears across the region that a major military confrontation between the United States and Iran may be imminent.
The situation represents a dramatic escalation in Middle Eastern tensions that has unfolded rapidly over recent weeks. The arrival of two aircraft carrier strike groups in the region, combined with the evacuation of diplomatic personnel, echoes similar patterns seen before previous military operations. Israeli officials have not publicly commented on the American embassy decision, though the country remains on heightened alert. International observers are closely watching whether diplomatic channels can prevent the crisis from spiralling into open conflict, with the coming days expected to be critical in determining the trajectory of US-Iran relations.
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