The US Embassy in Israel has requested that its non-emergency employees and their families depart the country amid escalating tensions about a potential assault on Iran.
According to an email sent to the mission on Friday by Ambassador Mike Huckabee, employees are free to depart if they so want, according to The New York Times. In a post on X on Friday, the US Embassy in Jerusalem also verified the incident.
Those who want to leave “should do so TODAY,” according to Mr. Huckabee.
Additionally, he instructed the staff to locate a flight from Ben-Gurion Airport to any location that would serve as a passage.
“The embassy’s move will likely result in high demand for airline seats today. Focus on getting a seat to any place from which you can then continue travelling to DC, but the first priority will be getting expeditiously out of the country,” he was quoted to have said.
For weeks, Washington has been building up its forces in the Middle East, deploying additional aircraft carriers, warships, fighter jets, and air defence systems.
Recall that President Donald Trump threatened to attack Iran if it didn’t reach a peace agreement over its nuclear program within ten to fifteen days on Friday. Iran needs to come to a significant accord, he insisted.
However, Abbas Araghchi, the Iranian Foreign Minister, stated at the end of the indirect discussions on Thursday that while there was “good progress” on the nuclear issue and sanctions relief during this round of negotiations, there are still significant gaps.
The US government is accelerating its conflict with Iran, but it hasn’t given a convincing justification for the strike or explained how Iran is a threat to the US. Mr. Trump’s general concerns about the nuclear danger run counter to those of the former US president, who spent months attempting to defend a significant military strike.
According to the New York Times, Mr. Huckabee informed the mission that the warning came after phone conversations and meetings with the State Department.
During the conference, officials determined to be extremely cautious and agreed that the protection of US embassy employees was a top priority.
Should the US attack Iran, Israel is likely to be targeted for retaliation. Iran is likely to strike the US military bases and other strategic US assets in the country and also in the region.
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