Tension between the United States and Iran has continued to escalate as the US orders it citizens in Israel to leave immediately.
In an updated travel advisory on Friday, the State Department directed non-emergency government personnel and their family members to leave Israel, citing escalating safety risks amid a volatile security situation.
The development comes as tensions across Israel and the wider region continue to heighten, prompting Washington to reassess the safety of its personnel.
In the same vein, the US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee told US Embassy staff who wish to leave to “do so TODAY,” the New York Times reported on Friday.
Huckabee informed embassy staff in an email sent at 12:04 a.m. to leave, urging them to book flights anywhere they could.
The mass-issued handout suggests that US citizens should “consider leaving Israel while commercial flights are available.”
Several countries have called for their citizens to leave or not travel to the Middle East in recent days, as tensions between Iran and the US continue to rise.
Canada issued a warning urging all citizens to leave Iran on Friday, cautioning that commercial flight options may be limited.
China has advised its citizens to avoid traveling to Iran and urged those in the country to evacuate as soon as possible, citing the security situation, state news agency Xinhua reported on Friday.
The Australian government told dependents of Australian diplomats in Israel and Lebanon to leave the two countries, citing a deteriorating security situation in the region. It also offered voluntary departures to Australian diplomats’ dependents in the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, and Qatar.
Other countries cautioning their citizens to avoid or leave the area in the last few months include Finland, Serbia, Poland, Sweden, India, Cyprus, Singapore, Germany, and Brazil.
